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white bead

white bead

9.9
A North American plant with white poisonous berries that look like small balls
  • noun
  • /waɪt biːd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : perla blanca
  • The berries of the white bead plant are highly poisonous and should not be eaten.

Examples

  • Because of its distinctive fruit, white bead is also known as doll's eyes.

  • Walking through the forest, she pointed out a cluster of white bead growing alongside the path.

  • The white bead is highly toxic.

  • I found a white bead in the garden.

  • The berries of the white bead plant are small, round, and resemble beads, but they are very toxic.

  • In the fall, the white bead plant displays its white berries, which attract attention but are dangerous to touch.

  • She learned to identify the white bead plant by its striking white berries, which glistened in the sunlight.

Synonyms

Actaea alba
vswhite bead
  • Specialized
9.9

A North American plant with white, poisonous berries like small eyes

is the common descriptive name used in everyday language for the same plant
white baneberry
vswhite bead
  • Specialized
9.9

A forest plant with white poisonous berries that look like small round eyes

is a descriptive label that highlights the plant's round poisonous berries rather than standard naming
doll's eyes
vswhite bead
  • Specialized
9.9

A forest plant with small round white berries that look like eyes and are poisonous

is a more literal descriptive name focused on the plant's small poisonous berries
white cohosh
vswhite bead
  • Specialized
9.1

A plant from North America with white poisonous berries

is the specific name for that single species rather than a general group term

Surface Forms

white bead singular
white beads plural

Morphology

white + bead

The phrase is directly compositional: 'white' (color) + 'bead' (small round object) yields the interpretation of a small, white, bead-like thing. Even though the entry names a plant with white, bead-like berries, the visual/descriptive logic is straightforward and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

White bead comes from the plant's bright, round berries that look like small white 'beads' or tiny doll's eyes. That's why the name now refers to the North American herb whose shiny white berries are poisonous.