meadow saxifrage
- noun
- UK
- Gardeners value meadow saxifrage for its delicate white flowers and ability to thrive in poor soil.
Examples
-
The meadow saxifrage blooms beautifully in spring.
-
I spotted a meadow saxifrage while hiking in the Alps.
-
A patch of meadow saxifrage brightened the edge of the woodland in spring.
-
Botanists recorded an increase in meadow saxifrage populations following restoration of the grassland.
-
A patch of meadow saxifrage brightened the edge of the woodland in spring.
-
Gardeners value meadow saxifrage for its delicate white flowers and ability to thrive in poor soil.
-
Botanists recorded an increase in meadow saxifrage populations following restoration of the grassland.
Synonyms
A European perennial plant with a rosette of leaves and small clusters of white flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase denotes a saxifrage associated with meadows, so its meaning is compositionally derived from 'meadow' (habitat) + 'saxifrage' (plant). This follows a common noun–noun naming pattern that is cross-linguistically familiar, allowing a B1 learner who knows both constituents to infer the meaning.
Etymology
The name meadow saxifrage combines meadow and saxifrage. One popular story says saxifrage means 'rock-breaker' because some saxifrages grow in rock cracks, and the meadow part shows this kind grows in grass fields, so the name helps you picture a small white-flowered plant living in a meadow.