water locust
- noun
- US
:
almez de agua
- We admired the old water locust tree, its short oval pods hanging like small brown beads.
Examples
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Local carpenters prefer lumber from the water locust because of its dark color and heavy strength.
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Many farmers plant a water locust along ditches to help stabilize wet soil and prevent erosion.
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The water locust thrives in the wetlands.
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Many water locusts can be found in southern swamps.
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Many farmers plant a water locust along ditches to help stabilize wet soil and prevent erosion.
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We admired the old water locust tree, its short oval pods hanging like small brown beads.
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Local carpenters prefer lumber from the water locust because of its dark color and heavy strength.
Synonyms
A swamp tree of the southern United States with short oval seed pods and dark heavy wood called water locust
A tree that grows in southern swamps with short oval pods and strong dark wood
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositional: 'water' (wet habitat) modifies 'locust' (a tree species), so the meaning — a locust/tree that grows in watery areas or swamps — is directly inferable from the constituents. This follows the regular noun+noun modification pattern common in English (and cross-linguistically), so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand it.
Etymology
Water locust may come from a simple picture: the tree grows in wet ground, so the water part, and it has short, bead-like pods like other locust trees, so people used the word 'locust' for its pods. That's why the name fits a swamp tree with short oval pods and heavy wood.
