taro plant
- noun
- /ˈtɑːroʊ plænt/
- I bought a taro plant for my garden.
Examples
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The taro plant is a staple food in many Pacific Island cultures.
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The taro plant thrives in wet environments.
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Farmers harvest the roots of the taro plant to make traditional dishes.
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She grew a taro plant in her garden for its beautiful foliage.
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In Hawaii, the taro plant is a staple food, widely used to make poi.
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The taro plant has large, glossy leaves that can add beauty to any garden.
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Farmers cultivate the taro plant for its nutritious roots, which are used in various dishes.
Synonyms
A tropical plant with large leaves grown for its starchy edible root used like a potato
A plant like taro with a starchy root eaten as food in Hawaii and used to make poi
A tropical plant with large shiny leaves and a starchy root used for food
A tropical plant with a large root used as food
A tropical plant with big leaves whose root you can cook and eat
A large root like a potato that people cook and eat in tropical countries
How Ornamental
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning of 'taro plant' is directly compositional: combining the noun 'taro' (a plant cultivated for its edible root) with the generic noun 'plant' yields the referent plant species. A B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer this nominal description without prior exposure, so the expression is transparent.
Etymology
Taro plant comes from the simple idea of taro meaning 'a thick, edible root' and plant meaning 'a living thing that grows'. Imagine big, shiny leaves above ground and a round root below that people dig up to eat, so the name came to mean this tropical food plant today.