white dog's-tooth violet
- noun
- US
:
violeta de diente de perro blanco
- The white dog's-tooth violet blooms in early spring.
Examples
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While hiking in the woods, we spotted a rare white dog's-tooth violet blooming beside the trail.
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The white dog's-tooth violet is admired for its delicate, colorful petals in spring.
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Gardeners often seek the white dog's-tooth violet for shady borders due to its striking flowers.
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Have you seen the white dog's-tooth violets in the garden?
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Gardeners often seek the white dog's-tooth violet for shady borders due to its striking flowers.
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While hiking in the woods, we spotted a rare white dog's-tooth violet blooming beside the trail.
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The white dog's-tooth violet is admired for its delicate, colorful petals in spring.
Synonyms
A North American wildflower in the lily family with single white flowers and yellow centers
A North American woodland plant with one white flower and a yellow center
A North American plant with single white flowers that have yellow centers and blue or pink outer petals
Surface Forms
Morphology
The elements 'white' and 'violet' are transparent — a B1 learner can infer a white flower of the violet type — but the middle component 'dog's-tooth' is a specialized lexicalized modifier whose meaning (originally referring to the bulb shape) is not obvious from the words 'dog' + 'tooth'. Because part of the compound requires cultural/botanical knowledge and the construction is partly conventionalized, the overall phrase is only partially predictable to learners.
Etymology
White dog's-tooth violet may come from the plant's look: it has a small pointed bulb that looks like a dog's-tooth, and a delicate flower like a violet, while white tells the flower color. So the name gives an easy picture to help you recognize this white-flowered plant.
