swamp laurel
- noun
- /swɑmp ˈlɔrəl/
- US
:
laurel de pantano
- The swamp laurel thrives in the wet, acidic soil of northern bogs.
Examples
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Many birds nest in the branches of the swamp laurel.
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The leaves of the swamp laurel have a distinctive pale colour on their undersides.
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Botanists observed clusters of swamp laurel in full bloom during their spring survey.
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The swamp laurel thrives in wet, marshy conditions.
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Botanists observed clusters of swamp laurel in full bloom during their spring survey.
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The swamp laurel thrives in the wet, acidic soil of northern bogs.
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Many birds nest in the branches of the swamp laurel.
Synonyms
1
7.5
A small tree or bush from the southeastern United States with fragrant white flowers
A small tree or bush with white flowers that smell nice and grows in swamps
A small tree or shrub from the southeast United States with sweet smelling white flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning ('a shrub or small tree found in wetland areas') is directly derivable from combining 'swamp' (wetland) with 'laurel' (an evergreen plant): it denotes a laurel that grows in swamps. This simple noun–noun compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common and would be immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Swamp laurel comes from the simple picture of a laurel-like plant growing in a swamp. Because its leaves look like the true laurel, people used the name for a small tree or 'shrub' in wet areas, so the name today simply describes a laurel-like plant that lives in wet ground.