PLANT


Meaning of PLANT in English

I. plant 1 S2 W1 /plɑːnt $ plænt/ BrE AmE noun

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ plant , ↑ transplant , ↑ transplantation , ↑ plantation , ↑ planter ; verb : ↑ plant , ↑ transplant ]

[ Language: Old English ; Origin: plante , from Latin planta 'new growth on a plant, part cut off a plant to be grown again' ]

1 . LIVING THING [countable] a living thing that has leaves and roots and grows in earth, especially one that is smaller than a tree:

Don’t forget to water the plants.

⇨ ↑ houseplant

2 . FACTORY [countable] a factory or building where an industrial process happens:

a huge chemical plant

⇨ ↑ power plant

3 . MACHINERY [uncountable] British English heavy machinery that is used in industrial processes:

a plant hire business

4 . SOMETHING HIDDEN [countable usually singular] something illegal or stolen that is hidden in someone’s clothes or possessions to make them seem guilty of a crime

5 . PERSON [countable] someone who is put somewhere or sent somewhere secretly to find out information

• • •

COLLOCATIONS

■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + plant

▪ rare

Many rare plants were collected from India and China.

▪ common

These plants are common in British gardens.

▪ wild plants

Many wild plants are in danger of dying out.

▪ garden plants (=plants that are grown in gardens)

These butterflies feed on the flowers of several garden plants.

▪ exotic/tropical plants

Exotic plants can be grown in a greenhouse.

▪ medicinal plants (=plants that can be used in medicine)

A lot of research into medicinal plants and traditional remedies has now been carried out.

▪ a potted/pot plant British English (=a plant that is grown in a container)

He leaves his house key under the potted plant on the porch.

▪ a house plant (=a plant grown in a pot in the house)

These make excellent house plants.

▪ a climbing plant (=one that grows up things)

The wall was covered with climbing plants.

▪ a trailing plant (=one that grows along the ground or hangs down)

▪ a tomato/potato/bean etc plant

Bean plants are easy to grow.

▪ poisonous

What should you do if your child has eaten a poisonous plant?

■ verbs

▪ a plant grows

The plant grows to a height of about 20 inches.

▪ a plant thrives/flourishes (=grows well)

A lot of plants thrive in partial shade.

▪ a plant flowers

The plants are flowering earlier this year.

▪ grow a plant

It is not an easy plant to grow.

▪ water a plant

He could see her watering the plants in her small garden.

▪ a plant withers (=becomes drier and starts to die)

■ plant + NOUN

▪ plant life (=plants)

All but the dirtiest of rivers support some plant life.

▪ plant material

They feed on decaying plant material.

• • •

THESAURUS

▪ plant a living thing that has leaves and roots and grows in earth, especially one that is smaller than a tree:

Don’t forget to water the plants.

|

Plants grow towards the sun.

|

Botanists examined plant species from around the world.

▪ herb a small plant that is used to improve the taste of food, or to make medicine:

Sprinkle the dish with chopped fresh herbs.

|

medicinal herbs (=used as medicine)

|

The shop sells an interesting range of herbs and spices.

▪ weed a wild plant growing where it is not wanted that prevents crops or garden flowers from growing properly:

She was pulling up weeds in her garden.

|

Herbicides can be used to prevent and control weeds.

▪ bulb a root shaped like a ball that grows into a flower or plant:

She planted hundreds of daffodil bulbs.

▪ shrub a small bush with several woody stems:

flowering shrubs

|

Rosemary is an evergreen shrub.

II. plant 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ plant , ↑ transplant , ↑ transplantation , ↑ plantation , ↑ planter ; verb : ↑ plant , ↑ transplant ]

[ Language: Old English ; Origin: plantian , from Latin plantare , from planta ; ⇨ ↑ plant 1 ]

1 . PLANTS/SEEDS to put plants or seeds in the ground to grow:

Residents have helped us plant trees.

We’ve planted tomatoes and carrots in the garden.

plant a field/garden/area etc (with something)

a hillside planted with fir trees

2 . PUT SOMETHING SOMEWHERE [always + adverb/preposition] informal to put something firmly in or on something else

plant something in/on etc something

He came up to her and planted a kiss on her cheek.

She planted her feet firmly to the spot and refused to move.

3 . HIDE ILLEGAL GOODS informal to hide stolen or illegal goods in someone’s clothes, bags, room etc in order to make them seem guilty of a crime

plant something on somebody

She claims that the police planted the drugs on her.

4 . BOMB plant a bomb to put a bomb somewhere:

Two men are accused of planting a bomb on the plane.

5 . PERSON to put or send someone somewhere, especially secretly, so that they can find out information:

The police had planted undercover detectives at every entrance.

6 . plant an idea/doubt/suspicion (in sb’s mind) to make someone begin to have an idea, especially so that they do not realize that you gave them the idea:

Someone must have planted the idea of suicide in his mind.

plant something ↔ out phrasal verb

to put a young plant into the soil outdoors, so that it has enough room to grow:

The seedlings should be planted out in May.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.