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Glite Dictionary
mournful widow

mournful widow

9.9
A plant that lives one year and has fragrant purple to deep red flower heads
  • noun
  • US
translation icon : viuda triste
  • The mournful widow brightened the garden with its deep crimson blossoms.

Examples

  • The mournful widow has become naturalized in parts of the northeastern United States.

  • Gardeners enjoy the fragrance of the mournful widow in late spring.

  • The garden was filled with beautiful mournful widow flowers.

  • Have you seen the mournful widows blooming in the park?

  • Gardeners enjoy the fragrance of the mournful widow in late spring.

  • The mournful widow brightened the garden with its deep crimson blossoms.

  • The mournful widow has become naturalized in parts of the northeastern United States.

Synonyms

Scabiosa atropurpurea
vsmournful widow
  • Specialized
9.9

A garden plant with scented purple to dark red flowers like a pincushion

is a common descriptive name used instead of the formal scientific label
sweet scabious
vsmournful widow
9.9

A garden plant with scented purple to deep red flowers that attract butterflies

focuses on garden use rather than the strict botanical name
pincushion flower
vsmournful widow
8.1

A garden plant with round purple or red flowers that smell nice and attract butterflies

uses a specific colloquial label instead of the broader family description

Surface Forms

mournful widow singular
mournful widows plural

Morphology

mournful + widow

A B1 learner who knows 'mournful' (sad) and 'widow' (a woman whose husband has died) will interpret the phrase as describing a person, not a plant. The use of these words as a folk/common name for an unrelated flowering plant is an arbitrary lexicalized label, so the botanical meaning cannot be predicted from the constituents. Therefore the expression is opaque to learners.

Etymology

Mournful widow may get its name from how the flower looks: the words mournful and widow create a small picture of dark, drooping blooms that seem like a sad woman in black. That's why the name links to 'mourning' and can help you remember this fragrant purple to deep crimson garden plant.