Indian paint
- noun
- /ˈɪndiən peɪnt/
- US
:
pintura india
- The red dye extracted from Indian paint was prized for its intensity and natural origins.
Examples
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The indigenous people used Indian paint to create vibrant colors for their artwork.
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The Indian paint flower blooms in the summer.
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Botanists are studying the effects of habitat loss on Indian paint populations.
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I found some Indian paint in the garden.
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The indigenous people used Indian paint to create vibrant colors for their artwork.
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The red dye extracted from Indian paint was prized for its intensity and natural origins.
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Botanists are studying the effects of habitat loss on Indian paint populations.
Synonyms
A North American plant with grey hairy leaves that makes red or yellow dye
A North American plant with grey hairy leaves and yellow-orange flowers
A plant that lives for many years, has hairy leaves, and makes a red or yellow dye
Surface Forms
Morphology
Although 'paint' evokes color or pigment and 'Indian' suggests an association or origin, a B1 learner who knows both words would most likely infer a type of pigment or painted object, not a perennial plant. The fact that this is the name of a plant that produces pigment is lexicalized and not predictably derived from the constituents, so it is not transparently compositional.
Etymology
Indian paint was named because Native people used parts of the plant to make red or yellow paint and dye for clothes and art. That's why the name points to a plant known for making strong color.
