moon carrot
- noun
- UK
- The moon carrot is easily recognized by its tall stems and delicate white flowers.
Examples
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Wild moon carrot can often be found growing in rocky, sunlit fields.
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Many gardeners plant moon carrots for their delicate flowers.
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Botanists studied the flowering patterns of the moon carrot throughout the summer.
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The moon carrot blooms beautifully in spring.
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The moon carrot features clusters of small white flowers that attract many pollinators.
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In her garden, she admired the beauty of the moon carrot with its finely divided leaves.
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During the hike, they were surprised to see moon carrots growing near the trail.
Synonyms
A group of flowering plants in the carrot family with white flower clusters
A wild plant with flat divided leaves and small white or pink flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
moon + carrot
The compound clearly signals a type of plant by combining a modifier ('moon') with a familiar plant name ('carrot'), so a B1 learner would likely infer it denotes some sort of carrot-like plant. However, the precise botanical meaning (a Seseli species with umbels of small flowers) is specialized and not predictable from 'moon' + 'carrot' alone, making the expression only partially transparent.
Etymology
The name moon carrot may come from the plant's round, pale flower clusters that look like little moons and from its carrot-like leaves and roots. So, moon carrot is used today for 'a wild plant with white flower clusters and thin, divided leaves'.