herb Paris

9.9

A woodland plant with four broad leaves and one pale yellow-green flower that is poisonous

noun

: hierba de París

The four-leaved arrangement of herb Paris makes it easy to distinguish from other woodland plants.

Examples

During our hike through the forest, we spotted a rare patch of herb Paris growing in the shade.
Botanists warn that herb Paris contains toxic compounds and should not be ingested.
The herb Paris is often found in shaded woodlands.
Have you ever seen a herb Paris in bloom?
Botanists warn that herb Paris contains toxic compounds and should not be ingested.
During our hike through the forest, we spotted a rare patch of herb Paris growing in the shade.
The four-leaved arrangement of herb Paris makes it easy to distinguish from other woodland plants.

Synonyms

Paris quadrifolia

vsherb Paris

Specialized

9.9

A woodland plant with four broad leaves around the stem and one small green flower that is poisonous

is the everyday common name form rather than the scientific form

Surface Forms

herb Paris singular

herbs Paris plural

Morphology

herb + Paris

The constituent 'herb' clearly signals a plant so learners who know that word will infer the phrase refers to a kind of plant, but 'Paris' here is a taxonomic/proper name (not the city) and does not contribute describable semantic content about the plant to a B1 learner. Because the phrase is essentially a fixed species name where the specific identity and poison reputation cannot be derived from the parts, the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Herb Paris gets its name from the way it looks: a single small flower sits in the centre of a neat ring of four equal leaves. One popular story says people called it herb Paris because this clear 'fourfold' shape made it easy to recognise, and that's why the name now refers to this rare, 'poisonous' woodland plant.