Monstera deliciosa

1 7.7

A tropical climbing plant with large split leaves and sweet fruit that tastes like pineapple and banana

noun
/mɒnˈstɛrə dɪˈliːʃəs/

Specialized

: Monstera deliciosa

Many people do not realize that the fruit of the Monstera deliciosa is actually edible when ripe.

Examples

The Monstera deliciosa is prized for its dramatic split leaves in stylish home decor.
She placed her new Monstera deliciosa near the window to ensure it got enough sunlight.
The Monstera deliciosa is a popular houseplant.
I bought a Monstera deliciosa from the local nursery.
Many people do not realize that the fruit of the Monstera deliciosa is actually edible when ripe.
The Monstera deliciosa is prized for its dramatic split leaves in stylish home decor.
I bought a Monstera deliciosa from the local nursery because I love its unique foliage.

Synonyms

monstera

vsMonstera deliciosa

1 9.9

A tropical fruit with a sweet pineapple and banana flavor

is the whole vine species rather than mainly the fruit and stresses leaves

ceriman

vsMonstera deliciosa

9.9

A tropical climbing plant with roots in the air that produces fruit tasting like pineapple and banana

is the species noted for large perforated leaves and edible pineapple banana fruit

Surface Forms

Monstera deliciosa singular

Monstera deliciosas plural

Morphology

Monstera + deliciosa

Partly transparent: 'Monstera' names a plant genus and 'deliciosa' is clearly interpretable as Latin/Spanish for 'delicious', so a learner who knows both constituents could infer this refers to a (tasty) plant or one with edible/delicious fruit. However, the full, conventionalized meaning as a specific tropical vine with perforated leaves and a pineapple/banana-like fruit is encyclopedic and not fully predictable from the binomial form, so the expression is only partially compositional.

Etymology

Monstera deliciosa comes from old Latin words that mean 'monster' and 'delicious'. Monstera refers to the plant's big, split leaves with holes that look strange, and deliciosa refers to its tasty ripe fruit, so the name helps you remember both the leaves and the edible fruit.