honeysuckle
Meaning
a climbing plant with sweet-smelling, tube-shaped, yellow or pink flowers.
Structure
Usage
the garden fence was covered in fragrant honeysuckle.
bees and hummingbirds are attracted to the honeysuckle's nectar.
she remembered picking honeysuckle flowers as a child to taste the drop of sweetness inside.
Etymology
the word 'honeysuckle' is a native english compound, formed from two old english words. the first element, 'honey', directly refers to the sweet nectar produced by the plant's flowers. the second element, 'suck', alludes to the practice of sucking this nectar from the base of the blossoms, a common childhood pastime. the suffix '-le' acts as a noun-forming element, giving the word its familiar form. thus, the name literally and logically describes a plant whose flowers yield a sweet liquid suitable for sucking.
Analysis
honey (old english 'hunig', a sweet, viscous food substance) + suck (old english 'sūcan', to draw liquid into the mouth) + le (old english '-el', a suffix forming nouns, often with a diminutive or instrumental sense).