rabbit bush
- noun
- /ˈræbɪt bʌʃ/
- US
:
arbusto conejo
- Native artists used the rabbit bush to create natural yellow dyes for wool and basketry.
Examples
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In late summer, the rabbit bush blazed with bright yellow flowers across the desert landscape.
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Jackrabbits often hide beneath the rabbit bush to escape the midday heat.
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The rabbit bush blooms beautifully in the spring.
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Many rabbit bushes grow along the hiking trail.
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In late summer, the rabbit bush blazed with bright yellow flowers across the desert landscape.
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Native artists used the rabbit bush to create natural yellow dyes for wool and basketry.
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Jackrabbits often hide beneath the rabbit bush to escape the midday heat.
Synonyms
A shrub with thin hairy branches and bright yellow flowers that smells nice and grows on western plains
A small scented bush with thin hairy branches and yellow flower clusters that grows in dry western North America
A low, branching shrub with yellow flowers that grows in western North America and is often called rabbitbrush
Surface Forms
Morphology
rabbit + bush
The compound is compositionally transparent: 'bush' clearly denotes a shrub and 'rabbit' acts as a straightforward modifier indicating association (a bush related to or named for rabbits). A B1 learner who knows both words will reliably infer that this is a type of shrub/plant, even if they would not know the specific botanical details like aroma or flower color.
Etymology
Rabbit bush likely got its name from the simple picture of rabbits hiding under or feeding on the low, bushy branches—people saw a rabbit beside a bush and the name stuck. That's why rabbit bush today means the yellow-flowered shrub often used to make 'yellow dye'.
