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Glite Dictionary
stonewort

stonewort

1 9.9
A green water plant with many thin branches that grows under water and often has a hard white covering
  • noun
  • /ˈstoʊnˌwɜrt/
  • Specialized
: chara
  • The pond was filled with stonewort, giving the water a greenish tint.

Examples

  • Some fish lay their eggs among the thick branches of stonewort.

  • The stonewort grows abundantly in freshwater lakes.

  • Researchers studied the growth patterns of stonewort in varying water conditions.

  • Have you seen any stoneworts in this pond?

  • Researchers studied the growth patterns of stonewort in varying water conditions.

  • Some fish lay their eggs among the thick branches of stonewort.

  • The pond was filled with stonewort, giving the water a greenish tint.

Surface Forms

stonewort singular
stoneworts plural

Morphology

stonewort = stone + wort (semi-transparent) = stone + wort

The components 'stone' and 'wort' combine literally, but 'wort' is an archaic element that many learners do not recognise, making the compound only partially transparent.

Etymology

The word stonewort comes from stone and wort, where wort is an old English word for 'plant' as in St John's wort. These water plants are often covered with a hard, white material and so look or feel 'stony', which is why they got this name.