Thanksgiving cactus
- noun
- /ˈθæŋksˌɡɪvɪŋ ˈkæktəs/
- US
:
cactus de Acción de Gracias
- My Thanksgiving cactus bloomed early this year, filling the windowsill with bright red flowers.
Examples
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Many people confuse the Thanksgiving cactus with the Christmas cactus, but their flowering times are different.
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She inherited her grandmother's Thanksgiving cactus, which is now over thirty years old.
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My Thanksgiving cactus is starting to bloom.
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Are you taking care of your Thanksgiving cactus?
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My Thanksgiving cactus bloomed early this year, filling the windowsill with bright red flowers.
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Many people confuse the Thanksgiving cactus with the Christmas cactus, but their flowering times are different.
-
She inherited her grandmother's Thanksgiving cactus, which is now over thirty years old.
Synonyms
A South American cactus with flat stem sections and bright pink or red flowers kept indoors
A houseplant cactus with flat joined stems and red flowers that blooms in winter
A South American cactus with stem sections often kept indoors for its bright red flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase denotes a cactus associated with Thanksgiving (i.e., a cactus that blooms around that holiday), which is directly derivable from combining 'Thanksgiving' and 'cactus'. This noun–noun compound follows common English composition patterns (cf. 'Christmas cactus'), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Thanksgiving cactus is named for when it blooms: the houseplant usually flowers near the holiday Thanksgiving, so people began to call that cactus by the time of year it shows its bright flowers.
