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Glite Dictionary
Indian pink

Indian pink

8.2
A garden plant with bright red or white flowers that attract hummingbirds and butterflies
  • noun
  • US
translation icon : clavelina
  • The vibrant Indian pink brightened the corner of the garden with its red blossoms.

Examples

  • We admired the delicate leaves and striking flowers of the Indian pink during our botanical walk.

  • I love the vibrant color of Indian pinks in spring.

  • Gardeners often plant Indian pink to attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

  • The garden was filled with beautiful Indian pink flowers.

  • Gardeners often plant Indian pink to attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

  • The vibrant Indian pink brightened the corner of the garden with its red blossoms.

  • We admired the delicate leaves and striking flowers of the Indian pink during our botanical walk.

Surface Forms

Indian pink singular
Indian pinks plural

Morphology

Indian + pink

The noun follows a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'Indian' modifies 'pink', so a learner who knows 'Indian' and 'pink' (as the flower) can infer it denotes a kind/variety of pink, i.e. an ornamental plant. This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically and does not require idiomatic knowledge, so the meaning is directly derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Indian pink may come from early settlers who saw Native Americans using the plant as medicine and noticed its bright red or pink flowers. So the name links Indian, meaning the people, and pink, meaning the flower color, and today it means 'a garden plant with bright red flowers'.