lady's tobacco
- noun
- /ˈleɪdiz təˈbækoʊ/
- US
:
tabaco de la dama
- Propagation of lady's tobacco is easy, as the plant spreads naturally via runners.
Examples
-
The shady woodland path was lined with lady's tobacco in full bloom.
-
Gardeners appreciate lady's tobacco for its low maintenance and attractive foliage.
-
I found some lady's tobacco growing in the garden.
-
Have you seen the lady's tobacco in the woods?
-
The shady woodland path was lined with lady's tobacco in full bloom.
-
Propagation of lady's tobacco is easy, as the plant spreads naturally via runners.
-
Gardeners appreciate lady's tobacco for its low maintenance and attractive foliage.
How Persistent
11
2.7
- US
- Specialized
5
6.7
- Specialized
11
2.7
49
3.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
lady's + tobacco
The head noun 'tobacco' clearly denotes a plant, and the possessive/attributive form 'lady's' signals a specific variety or subtype (a common pattern in English plant names, e.g. 'lady's slipper'). A B1 learner who knows 'lady' and 'tobacco' would reasonably infer this means a particular kind of tobacco plant, so the meaning is compositionally derivable from its parts.
Etymology
Lady's tobacco may come from gardeners long ago. One popular story says people noticed its small, sweet-smelling leaves were like 'tobacco' but milder and often grown by women near the house, so the name came to mean a gentle garden or woodland plant.