stinking yew
- noun
- US
:
tejo hediondo
- After crushing the leaves of a stinking yew, he recoiled at the pungent smell.
Examples
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Gardeners warn that the stinking yew can produce an unpleasant odor if its leaves are touched.
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The stinking yew is found mainly in the shaded swamps of northern Florida.
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The stinking yew is often found in swampy areas.
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Have you ever smelled a stinking yew?
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After crushing the leaves of a stinking yew, he recoiled at the pungent smell.
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Gardeners warn that the stinking yew can produce an unpleasant odor if its leaves are touched.
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The stinking yew is known for its glossy green leaves that emit a foul smell when damaged.
Synonyms
A rare small evergreen tree from northern Florida with glossy leaves that smell bad when crushed
A rare small evergreen tree from northern Florida with shiny leaves that smell bad when crushed
A small evergreen tree with glossy leaves that smell bad when crushed
How Smelly
- US
165
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
stinking + yew
This is a literal adjective + noun combination: 'stinking' (emitting a foul smell) modifies 'yew' (a type of evergreen tree), so the phrase simply denotes a yew that smells bad. Such straightforward descriptive composition follows normal English patterns and would be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Stinking yew is the name of a small evergreen shrub whose glossy leaves give off a very bad smell when they are crushed. So the name links stinking meaning 'bad smell' and yew meaning the plant, and tells you the shrub smells bad when touched.