lesser centaury

9.9

A small European plant that lives for one year with clusters of bright pink flowers

noun

: centaurio menor

In summer, lesser centaury often carpets meadows across parts of Europe.

Examples

She carefully identified the lesser centaury by its cluster of tiny blooms.
The bright pink flowers of the lesser centaury are easy to spot in open grasslands.
The lesser centaury blooms beautifully in the spring.
Many gardeners appreciate the lesser centaury for its vibrant color.
In summer, the lesser centaury often carpets meadows across parts of Europe.
The bright pink flowers of the lesser centaury are easy to spot in open grasslands.
Many gardeners appreciate the lesser centaury for its vibrant color.

Synonyms

centaury

vslesser centaury

9.9

A small plant with pink or blue flowers often used in herbal medicine

is a specific small European annual species with dense clusters of pink flowers

Surface Forms

lesser centaury singular

lesser centauries plural

Morphology

lesser + centaury

The meaning 'a small species/variety of centaury' is directly derived from combining 'lesser' (smaller/reduced) with 'centaury' (a small plant), so a learner who knows both words can infer the MWE's referent. This is a straightforward adjective + noun composition common cross-linguistically, making it immediately comprehensible to B1 learners.

Etymology

Lesser centaury may come from an old story about the centaur Chiron, who used a plant for 'healing'. So centaury links the flower to that healing story and lesser shows this is the smaller kind, which helps explain the name.