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Glite Dictionary
mock privet

mock privet

8.8
A bush that stays green all year with small white flowers and olive-like fruits
  • noun
  • /mɑk ˈprɪvɪt/
translation icon : ligustro falso
  • The hedge was planted with mock privet for its dense foliage and delicate white flowers.

Examples

  • Gardeners often choose mock privet as a hardy, decorative shrub for urban landscapes.

  • After the mock privet bloomed, small, olive-like fruits appeared on the branches.

  • The garden was filled with beautiful mock privet plants.

  • Have you seen the mock privets in my backyard?

  • Gardeners often choose mock privet as a hardy, decorative shrub for urban landscapes.

  • After the mock privet bloomed, small, olive-like fruits appeared on the branches.

  • The hedge was planted with mock privet for its dense foliage and delicate white flowers.

Synonyms

privet
vsmock privet
2 8.1

A dense bush with small white flowers and black berries often used as a hedge

is an evergreen ornamental shrub that instead has olive-like fruits
Ligustrum
vsmock privet
  • Specialized
1 9.6

A shrub or small tree used as a hedge, known as privet

is one specific ornamental shrub within that larger genus
Ligustrum japonicum
vsmock privet
  • Specialized
9.5

An evergreen shrub with small dark leaves and loose white flowers often used for hedges

is similar but typically produces olive-like fruits rather than dark berries
Japanese privet
vsmock privet
8.7

An evergreen bush with small dark leaves and white flowers in loose groups often used for hedges

is generally larger and produces olive-like fruits instead of being smaller

Surface Forms

mock privet singular
mock privets plural

Morphology

mock + privet

The meaning is directly compositional: 'mock' (imitation/appearing to be real) modifies 'privet' (a shrub), so together they indicate a shrub that resembles or imitates a privet. This adjective+noun pattern is a standard, cross-linguistically common composition, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Mock privet gets its name because the shrub looks like a true privet but is not the same, so people used mock to mean 'a fake' or 'a copy'. That is why the name refers to an evergreen shrub that 'looks like' privet rather than being a true privet.