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Glite Dictionary
horse thistle

horse thistle

9.9
A prickly wild plant with yellow flowers that grows like a weed
  • noun
translation icon : lechuga espinosa
  • The farmer spent hours pulling horse thistle from the edges of his fields.

Examples

  • Horse thistle often invades neglected gardens and can be difficult to eradicate.

  • In early summer, the yellow flowers of horse thistle are a familiar sight along rural roadsides.

  • The garden was overrun by horse thistle.

  • Farmers in Ohio struggle with horse thistles each summer.

  • Horse thistle often invades neglected gardens, making it a troublesome weed for homeowners.

  • The bright yellow flowers of horse thistle are commonly seen blooming in fields during summer.

  • After a heavy rain, the farmer noticed that horse thistle had spread quickly throughout his pasture.

Synonyms

prickly lettuce
vshorse thistle
  • US
8.3

A wild plant from Europe with prickly stems that often grows in gardens as a weed

uses an alternate common name rather than the species label
Lactuca scariola
vshorse thistle
  • Specialized
9.9

A wild lettuce with prickly stems that often grows as a weed

is the common-name form rather than the scientific species label
Lactuca serriola
vshorse thistle
  • Specialized
9.9

A wild lettuce plant with prickly leaves and stems that often grows as a weed

focuses on a European-only origin rather than a wider native range

Surface Forms

horse thistle singular
horse thistles plural

Morphology

horse + thistle

This is a straightforward noun–noun compound where 'horse' modifies 'thistle', so a learner who knows 'horse' and 'thistle' can infer it denotes a kind of thistle (a prickly/weedy plant). Although the precise botanical species or why 'horse' labels it cannot be deduced, the basic meaning 'a type of thistle' is compositional and predictable.

Etymology

Horse thistle comes from farmers' speech: they used horse to show something big or rough and thistle for the prickly plant. So the name gives a simple picture of a large, rough, prickly 'weed' that commonly grows in fields.