lesser duckweed
- noun
- /ˈlɛsər ˈdʌkˌwid/
:
lenteja de agua menor
- The pond was covered with bright green patches of lesser duckweed.
Examples
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Researchers study lesser duckweed to understand its rapid growth and ability to clean water.
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Many waterbirds feed on lesser duckweed during the summer months.
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The pond was covered in lesser duckweed.
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I found some lesser duckweeds in the garden.
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The pond was covered with bright green patches of lesser duckweed.
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Many waterbirds feed on lesser duckweed during the summer months.
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Researchers study lesser duckweed to understand its rapid growth and ability to clean water.
Synonyms
1
8.3
A very small plant that floats on still water in a green carpet
A small floating water plant like duckweed that grows in ponds
A very small floating plant that forms a green layer on the surface of ponds
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning ('a smaller variety of duckweed') is directly and compositionally derived from 'lesser' (smaller/lesser in size or significance) plus 'duckweed' (a small floating aquatic plant). This adjective+noun naming pattern is common and predictable, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
Lesser duckweed is named from a simple picture: tiny, floating plants that ducks often eat were called duckweed, and the word lesser shows this is the smaller kind. So lesser duckweed means 'a very small floating pond plant'.