Matchweed

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A low, resinous shrub of the aster family native to western North American deserts and grasslands, with small yellow flower heads
2. A small desert plant in the daisy family that grows in dry western North American rangeland and bears clusters of tiny yellow blossoms
3. A branching, resinous herb of the composite family, especially a western American species that thrives on arid plains and open ground

Etymology: Matchweed is a plant name formed by simply joining two English words: "match", in the sense of a lookalike or equal, and "weed", a term for a plant. The compound describes a plant that is, in effect, a match for or equal to the thing it resembles, and the name is a transparent piece of English word-building rather than a borrowing from another language. Because both parts are native English words, there is no foreign root to trace. The meaning of the whole comes from the two parts working together, so the name reads much like other descriptive plant names built from a noun and a simpler term for a plant.