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white horehound

white horehound

9.9
A European herb with hairy leaves and small white flowers that people use to make bitter medicine and flavoring
  • noun
  • /ˈhwaɪt ˈhɔrˌhaʊnd/
translation icon : horehound blanco
  • The herbalist recommended white horehound tea to help soothe my cough.

Examples

  • Traditional candies are sometimes flavored with extracts from white horehound leaves.

  • Fields of white horehound bloom in the summer, attracting bees to their tiny flowers.

  • The herbalist recommended white horehound for its medicinal properties.

  • Many people enjoy white horehound candy for its unique flavor.

  • The herbalist recommended white horehound tea to help soothe my cough.

  • Traditional candies are sometimes flavored with extracts from white horehound leaves.

  • Fields of white horehound bloom in the summer, attracting bees to their tiny flowers.

Synonyms

horehound
vswhite horehound
1 9.9

A small herb with a strong smell and wrinkled leaves used for medicine or flavor

is one specific species rather than a general group term
common horehound
vswhite horehound
  • Specialized
9.6

An herb from Europe with hairy leaves and small white flowers used in medicine and to flavor food

is a descriptive common name that highlights the plant's flower color
Marrubium vulgare
vswhite horehound
  • Specialized
9.9

A European herb with hairy leaves and white flowers used to make a bitter medicine or flavour

is the everyday common name rather than the scientific form

Surface Forms

Morphology

white + horehound

This is a straightforward noun phrase in which the adjective 'white' simply modifies the noun 'horehound' (a specific herb). The combined meaning — the horehound that is white or has white flowers — is directly derivable from the constituents and follows a common cross-linguistic color+noun composition, so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand it.

Etymology

White horehound is named for the plant's pale, hairy look: its leaves and tiny flowers look almost 'white', so people used white and the old name horehound to describe it. Its bitter leaves were often used as a medicine for coughs, so the name now makes us think of a bitter healing herb.