winter cherry
1
7.6
- noun
- Many people keep a winter cherry on their windowsill for decoration, unaware that its berries are toxic.
Examples
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The bright red fruit of the winter cherry stands out against its dark green leaves.
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Although the winter cherry is attractive, you should keep it away from pets and children.
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The winter cherry plant is beautiful.
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I love the bright colors of winter cherries.
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Many people keep a winter cherry on their windowsill for decoration, unaware that its berries are toxic.
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The bright red fruit of the winter cherry stands out against its dark green leaves.
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Although the winter cherry is attractive, you should keep it away from pets and children.
Synonyms
1
9.8
A small potted plant with bright red or yellow berries that are poisonous
A garden plant with bright orange, papery husks that look like small lanterns
A plant with bright orange, papery, lantern-shaped coverings around its small fruit
A plant with orange paper-like husks around its small fruits, often grown for decoration
A small shrub with bright red or yellow cherry-like berries that are poisonous
A small South American plant grown indoors for its bright, poisonous, cherry-sized fruit
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is built from clear constituents 'winter' + 'cherry', so a B1 learner who knows both words would likely infer it refers to a kind of fruit/plant associated with winter or decorative use. However, the specific botanical sense (a Physalis-type plant with papery husks and sometimes poisonous rather than a true cherry) is not fully predictable from the parts, so the relation is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Winter cherry may come from the plant's bright, cherry-like berries that often stay on the stem into winter, each berry held in a thin paper husk like a little lantern. That's why people used it as a winter 'decoration', and today the name refers to the plant with showy fruit that can sometimes be 'poisonous'.