hard rush

8.8

A tall wild plant with stiff round stems that grows in wet places

noun

: juncos

During the summer, the wet meadows are dominated by hard rush and other water-loving plants.

Examples

Gardeners often use hard rush as an ornamental plant because of its distinctive, upright stems.
The riverbank was lined with dense clusters of hard rush swaying in the breeze.
The hard rush grows near the riverbank.
Have you seen the hard rush in the wetlands?
During the summer, the wet meadows are dominated by hard rush and other water-loving plants.
Gardeners often use hard rush as an ornamental plant because of its distinctive, upright stems.
The riverbank was lined with dense clusters of hard rush swaying in the breeze.

Synonyms

Juncus inflexus

vshard rush

Specialized

9.9

A tall, thin plant with upright stems that grows in wet places like marshes

is the common English name rather than the scientific label

Surface Forms

hard rush singular

hard rushes plural

Morphology

hard + rush

This is a literal adjectival noun phrase: 'hard' (firm, stiff) modifies 'rush' (a marsh plant), so the meaning — a rush with stiff stems — is directly compositional. The structure adj+noun describing a property is common in English (and cross-linguistically), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Hard rush comes from a simple picture: people called it a rush because it grows in wet places, and hard because its long stems are stiff and upright. So the name points to a tall wetland plant with firm stems.