parasitic plant
- noun
- /ˌpærəˈsɪtɪk plænt/
- Specialized
:
planta parásita
- The parasitic plant steals nutrients from the oak tree, causing it to become weak.
Examples
-
Many gardeners dislike the parasitic plant because it harms the health of their flowers.
-
To Armstrong, it is clear that "the presence of the parasitic plant has the potential to alter the community in many direct and indirect ways."
Academic text (1996) -
Rafflesia arnoldii: this parasitic plant develops the world's largest bloom that can grow over three feet across.
Blog text (34) -
Some researchers study the effects of a parasitic plant on nearby vegetation.
Synonyms
111
4.2
A living thing that lives on or inside another living thing and takes food from it
5
9.2
A living thing that lives on or in another living thing and harms it
How Parasitic
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
9.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'parasitic' (living as a parasite) modifies 'plant' to denote a plant that lives on and derives nutrients from a host. This adjective+noun combination follows a common, cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Parasitic plant is a name for a plant that lives on another plant and takes food from it. Parasitic shows it takes food from its host and plant is the living thing, so the phrase means 'a plant that depends on another plant'.