silver sagebrush
- noun
- /ˈsɪlvər ˈseɪdʒˌbrʌʃ/
- US
:
salvia plateada
- Cattle often seek shelter under the silver sagebrush during hot summer days.
Examples
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The leaves of silver sagebrush are soft and have a distinct silvery color.
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The silver sagebrush thrives in the arid plains of Montana and Wyoming.
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The silver sagebrush thrives in arid environments.
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Many animals depend on silver sagebrush for food.
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Cattle often seek shelter under the silver sagebrush during hot summer days.
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The silver sagebrush thrives in the arid plains of Montana and Wyoming.
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The leaves of silver sagebrush are soft and have a distinct silvery color.
Synonyms
A bush with silvery leaves that grows in the western US and gives food and shelter to deer and antelope
A low shrub with many branches and pale grey leaves that gives shelter and food to wild animals
A low bushy plant with silver leaves that animals eat and hide in
A low, many-branched plant with silvery leaves that shelters wildlife
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward adjective+noun composition: 'silver' describes the color/appearance and 'sagebrush' names the shrub, so the meaning 'a sagebrush with silvery leaves' is directly derivable from the parts. The pattern is a common, compositional modifier-head structure found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand the compound.
Etymology
The noun silver sagebrush comes from how the plant looks: its leaves are pale and shiny like silver, and it is a low, bushy plant called sagebrush. That's why the name pictures a silvery bush that animals use for 'shelter' and 'food'.
