灯台草
Japanese
| Kanji in this term | ||
|---|---|---|
| 灯 | 台 | 草 |
| とう Grade: 4 |
だい Grade: 2 |
くさ > ぐさ Grade: 1 |
| on'yomi | kun'yomi | |
| Alternative spelling |
|---|
| 燈臺草 (kyūjitai) |
Etymology
Literally, “light house grass”, 灯台 (tōdai, “light house, light pole”) + 草 (kusa, “grass, plant”). The kusa changes to gusa as an instance of rendaku (連濁).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [to̞ːda̠iɡɯ̟sa̠]
Noun
灯台草 or 灯台草 • (tōdaigusa)
- sun spurge, Euphorbia helioscopia
- spurge (any plant of the genus Euphorbia)
Usage notes
As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary).