milkweed
UK[ˈmɪlkwiːd]US[ˈmɪlkˌwiːd]
n
a north american plant with milky sap and typically clusters of pink, orange, or white flowers, which is the food source for monarch butterfly larvae.
n
any of various other plants that contain a milky juice.
Morpheme Breakdown
milk
weed
milk
milky substance
weed
plant
Etymology
the word 'milkweed' is a transparent compound formed within english from two native old english elements. 'milk' derives from proto-germanic meluks, referring to the nourishing fluid, and here denotes the plant's characteristic white, latex-like sap. 'weed' comes from proto-germanic weud-, originally meaning herb, grass, or plant, often with a connotation of being wild or uncultivated. the compound logically names the plant by its most prominent physical feature—its milky juice—following a common english pattern for plant nomenclature (e.g., 'butterweed', 'ragweed'). its meaning has remained consistently literal, directly describing the botanical trait.
Analysis
Structure: milk (milky substance) + weed (plant)
milk (old english; denotes a milky fluid or substance) + weed (old english; denotes a herbaceous plant, not valued for cultivation)
Examples
monarch butterflies rely exclusively on milkweed plants to lay their eggs and feed their caterpillars.
the gardener identified the tall plant with pods as common milkweed.
when broken, the stem of the milkweed exudes a sticky, white sap.