Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
white mallow

white mallow

8.5
A small European plant with pink flowers and triangular leaves that lives for many years
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : malva blanca
  • The white mallow blooms beautifully in the late spring, adding color to the garden.

Examples

  • We spotted a patch of white mallow growing wild along the country road.

  • Gardeners appreciate the resilience of white mallow in a variety of soils and climates.

  • I saw a beautiful white mallow in the garden.

  • The white mallow blooms in late summer.

  • Gardeners appreciate the resilience of white mallow in a variety of soils and climates.

  • We spotted a patch of white mallow growing wild along the country road.

  • The white mallow blooms beautifully in the late spring, adding color to the garden.

Synonyms

Althea officinalis
vswhite mallow
  • Specialized
9.9

A European plant with lilac-pink flowers whose roots are used for medicine

is the common name used in everyday speech rather than the formal term
marsh mallow
vswhite mallow
  • UK
8.0

A wild plant with soft leaves and pale pink flowers that grows in wetlands

focuses on triangular ovate leaf shape instead of leaf hair or texture

Surface Forms

white mallow singular
white mallows plural

Morphology

white + mallow

The noun is transparently built from the adjective 'white' describing color and the noun 'mallow' (a flowering plant), so its meaning — a mallow that is white — is directly derivable from the parts. Adjective + noun composition is a basic, cross-linguistic descriptive pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words will easily understand this MWE.

Etymology

White mallow probably gets its name from the word white, for its pale flowers, and mallow, an old name for these soft plants with soft leaves. That's why white mallow simply means a 'mallow' plant that is white or very pale.