Ribbonweed

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of water-dwelling vegetation with elongated, tape-like leaves often inhabiting freshwater habitats
2. An aquatic flora distinguished by its slender, ribbon-like leaves frequently located in lakes and streams
3. A freshwater plant characterized by long, flat leaves resembling ribbons that typically grows in ponds and shallow waters

Etymology: Ribbonweed is about as transparent as English compounds get: it joins "ribbon" to "weed," and the name describes the plant's appearance. Its long, flat, strap-like leaves look like lengths of ribbon drifting in still water, and "weed" is the old general English word for a plant growing where it is not wanted or, more loosely, any herbaceous plant, especially one growing in water. The two halves carry different histories. "Ribbon" entered English from Old French "riban" in the Middle Ages and originally referred to a narrow strip of fabric. "Weed" comes from Old English "wēod," which once meant any herb or plant, and only gradually narrowed toward the sense of a useless or unwanted plant. The compound therefore pairs a word for a textile strip with a word that once meant any plant, which is why it suits an aquatic plant with ribbon-like foliage.