sagebrush buttercup
- noun
- /ˈseɪdʒˌbrʌʃ ˈbʌtərˌkʌp/
- US
:
ranúnculo de salvia
- The sagebrush buttercup is often one of the first flowers to appear in the sagebrush region each year.
Examples
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A few sagebrush buttercups had begun to bloom with the retreat of the snow.
Fiction book (1992) -
During our hike, we spotted a cluster of sagebrush buttercups growing near the edge of the trail.
-
In the spring, the fields were filled with bright yellow sagebrush buttercups blooming under the sun.
Synonyms
A small yellow buttercup that blooms early in spring in western North America
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward noun–noun compound where 'sagebrush' modifies 'buttercup', indicating a buttercup associated with sagebrush habitat. A B1 learner who knows both constituent nouns can readily infer it is a type of buttercup that grows in sagebrush areas, so the meaning is compositional and transparent.
Etymology
Sagebrush buttercup gets its name from a simple picture: the word buttercup refers to the shiny yellow flower people said looked like butter, and sagebrush is the low, grey-green shrub where this plant grows in western North America. So, the name tells you it is a 'small, yellow flower' that lives among 'sagebrush'.
