ervas daninhas
1. Wild plants that grow in unwanted places, especially among cultivated plants, and are considered undesirable
The garden was overgrown with weeds.
O jardim estava coberto de ervas daninhas.
2. Any plant or vegetation that is not valued and is usually removed
He spent the afternoon pulling weeds from the flower beds.
Ele passou a tarde arrancando ervas daninhas dos canteiros de flores.
3. Slang: marijuana or cannabis
He was arrested for possession of weeds.
Ele foi preso por posse de maconha.
4. Widows' weeds: black mourning clothes worn by widows
She wore her weeds for a year following her husband's death.
Ela usou roupas de luto por um ano após a morte de seu marido.
In Brazil, 'ervas daninhas' is the standard agricultural term, while 'mato' is used colloquially. In NYC and American urban slang, 'weed' (singular or plural) is widely used to refer to marijuana. The historical usage of 'weeds' to describe mourning clothes is largely archaic but may appear in historical literature.
NYC Slang
weed (singular form commonly used in NYC slang for marijuana)
Related Idioms & Phrases
to weed out - eliminar/separar o indesejável
flower among weeds - uma flor entre as ervas daninhas
to go to seed/become a weed - degenerar, deteriorar
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