white snakeroot
- noun
- /ˈhwaɪt ˈsneɪkˌruːt/
- US
:
hierba de la serpiente blanca
- Researchers studied the toxic effects of white snakeroot on livestock in the region.
Examples
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Farmers were once wary of letting cows graze where white snakeroot grew, fearing their milk would become poisonous.
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The field was filled with white snakeroot, its tiny blooms brightening the late summer landscape.
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The white snakeroot is known for its toxic properties.
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Farmers should be wary of white snakeroots in their fields.
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The farmer warned his neighbors that white snakeroot could be dangerous if their livestock grazed on it.
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She learned that white snakeroot is toxic and can cause serious health issues in both humans and animals.
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After a hike in the woods, we discovered that the white snakeroot plant was growing near the stream.
Synonyms
A North American plant with small white flowers that can poison cows and people through milk
A North American plant with flat clusters of small white flowers that makes milk poisonous if cows eat it
A small wild plant with flat clusters of white flowers that grows in woods
Surface Forms
Morphology
white + snakeroot
The adjective 'white' is fully transparent, and a learner who also recognises 'snake'+'root' can infer this refers to a plant (a root associated by name with snakes) or a white-coloured plant; however 'snakeroot' is a lexicalized plant name and its specific properties (toxic effects, milk sickness, morphology) are not derivable from the parts. Because basic referential content (a plant) is recoverable but the specialised, culture-specific meaning is not, the item is best classified as partially transparent.
Etymology
The plant called white snakeroot may come from a simple image: it has small white flowers and early farmers blamed the snakeroot (the plant's root) because cows that ate it made their milk poisonous and people got 'milk sickness'. That's why today white snakeroot is known as a plant that can poison farm animals and people.
