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Glite Dictionary
rattlesnake weed

rattlesnake weed

9.9
A small North American plant with low leaves marked by purple veins
  • noun
  • US
translation icon : hierba de serpiente de cascabel
  • The leaves of rattlesnake weed are marked with distinctive purple veins.

Examples

  • Hikers in the Appalachian region sometimes spot rattlesnake weed growing along wooded trails.

  • Native Americans traditionally believed that rattlesnake weed could treat snakebites.

  • Look at that rattlesnake weed!

  • Wow, a rattlesnake weed!

  • Hikers in the Appalachian region sometimes spot rattlesnake weed growing along wooded trails.

  • The leaves of rattlesnake weed are marked with distinctive purple veins.

  • Native Americans traditionally believed that rattlesnake weed could treat snakebites.

Synonyms

Hieracium venosum
vsrattlesnake weed
  • Specialized
9.9

A small wild plant native to North America with purple veins on its round leaves

is the common regional name for the same plant rather than the scientific term

Surface Forms

rattlesnake weed singular
rattlesnake weeds plural

Morphology

rattlesnake + weed

The compound is transparently built from 'rattlesnake' + 'weed' and will be understood by a B1 learner as a type of plant (a weed) associated with rattlesnakes by appearance or habitat. While the exact botanical species requires specialist knowledge, the basic meaning 'a weed named for rattlesnake' is directly inferable from the constituents and follows a common noun-compound pattern.

Etymology

Rattlesnake weed may come from old folk stories and the plant's look. People thought the plant's purple-veined leaves looked like a rattlesnake's skin and used the weed to treat 'snakebites', so the name linked the plant to snakes.