oakleaf goosefoot
- noun
- US
:
pata de gallo de hoja de roble
- The field was overrun with oakleaf goosefoot after the heavy rains.
Examples
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Many birds are attracted to the seeds of oakleaf goosefoot in late summer.
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The oakleaf goosefoot is often found in disturbed areas.
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Gardeners often mistake oakleaf goosefoot for other types of weeds in their flower beds.
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You can recognize oakleaf goosefoot by its unique leaves.
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Gardeners often mistake oakleaf goosefoot for other types of weeds in their flower beds.
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Many birds are attracted to the seeds of oakleaf goosefoot in late summer.
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The field was overrun with oakleaf goosefoot after the heavy rains.
Synonyms
An annual plant often found as a weed with greenish flower spikes and white, hairy undersides to its leaves
An annual weed with green flower spikes and white, hairy leaf bottoms often found in gardens and fields
Surface Forms
Morphology
oakleaf + goosefoot
The compound is directly compositional: 'oakleaf' can be analyzed as 'oak' + 'leaf' (a leaf like an oak's) and 'goosefoot' is a plant name, so the phrase denotes a type of goosefoot plant with oak-shaped leaves. This straightforward modifier+noun structure follows common compounding patterns and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Oakleaf goosefoot comes from the shape of the plant's leaves: the leaves can look like small oak leaves, which gives oakleaf, and they can also look like a goose's foot, which gives goosefoot. So the name helps people recognize this plant today.
