nurse log
- noun
- /nɜrs lɔg/
- Specialized
:
tronco enfermero
Examples
-
The entire nurse log and its inhabitants need water and a little sun.
Academic text (2003) -
These trees may then become nurse logs, and so the rainforest is reborn.
Academic text (2003) -
They begin their lives by sprouting on blown-over, rotting, red-colored trees called nurse logs.
Academic text (2003) -
It is ironic that the afterlife of nurse logs is to virtually disappear, while driftwood displays its power on the beaches.
Academic text (2003) -
In the forest, a fallen tree trunk serves as a nurse log, nurturing new plants and providing food for insects.
-
The decaying nurse log supported a variety of fungi that thrived in its rich nutrient environment.
-
During our hike, we noticed several nurse logs that were essential for the growth of young seedlings around them.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound combines 'nurse' (to care for or nurture) with 'log' (a tree trunk), so the basic idea of a log that nurtures or supports new growth is inferable from the parts. However, the ecological, specialist use of 'nurse log' and the metaphorical extension of 'nurse' to a piece of dead wood make the sense somewhat domain-specific rather than fully transparent to an average B1 learner without context.
Etymology
Nurse log is a name for a fallen log where the old tree acts like a nurse, giving young plants and fungi food, moisture and a safe place to grow. So the image of a dead tree 'caring for new life' explains why the name means 'a decaying trunk that helps new plants grow'.
