rose chestnut
- noun
- Indian
:
castaño de las rosas
- In spring, the rose chestnut produces clusters of white flowers that fill the air with fragrance.
Examples
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Wood harvested from the rose chestnut is often used for durable structures such as railway sleepers.
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The rose chestnut is prized for its sweetly scented blossoms and evergreen foliage in tropical gardens.
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The rose chestnut tree in our garden blooms beautifully every spring.
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I planted a rose chestnut last year, and it has grown tall.
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In spring, the rose chestnut produces clusters of white flowers that fill the air with fragrance.
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The rose chestnut is prized for its sweetly scented blossoms and evergreen foliage in tropical gardens.
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Wood harvested from the rose chestnut is often used for durable structures such as railway sleepers.
Synonyms
An evergreen tree from South Asia with fragrant white flowers and very hard wood
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase transparently signals a subtype: a B1 learner who knows 'chestnut' (a tree/wood) and 'rose' (a flower) will infer this refers to a kind of tree with rose-like or ornamental qualities, so the basic category (a tree) is clear. However, the detailed attributes in the definition (evergreen habit, fragrant white flowers used for perfume, extremely hard wood for railroad ties) are not predictable from the constituents, so the meaning is only partially recoverable.
Etymology
Rose chestnut likely comes from two simple images: the tree's sweet, almost rose-like flowers and its very hard, dark chestnut wood. So the name helps you remember a handsome evergreen 'tree' with fragrant white blooms and strong 'wood' used for building.
