Venus' slipper
- noun
- /ˈviːnəs ˈslɪpər/
:
zapato de Venus
- The Venus' slipper is prized among orchid enthusiasts for its unusual pouch-shaped flower.
Examples
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Gardeners often admire the striking colors and elegant form of the Venus' slipper.
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A rare Venus' slipper was on display at the botanical garden's annual orchid show.
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I bought a beautiful Venus' slipper for my garden.
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The Venus' slippers in the greenhouse are blooming.
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A rare Venus' slipper was on display at the botanical garden's annual orchid show.
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Gardeners often admire the striking colors and elegant form of the Venus' slipper.
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The Venus' slipper is prized among orchid enthusiasts for its unusual pouch-shaped flower.
Synonyms
1
9.9
An orchid from Southeast Asia with a showy slipper-shaped flower
An orchid with a pouch-shaped flower like a slipper
A kind of orchid with a pouch-shaped waxy flower
Surface Forms
Morphology
Venus' + slipper
The phrase combines a familiar proper name (Venus) with a common noun (slipper) so a learner who knows the words can infer a figurative name describing something slipper-shaped or associated with Venus, but they would not reliably deduce that it refers to a specific orchid species without botanical or cultural knowledge. Because the connection to shape/figurative naming is partly transparent yet requires extra world knowledge to reach the precise meaning, this is only partially predictable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Venus' slipper may come from the Roman goddess Venus and the flower's pouch, which looks like a tiny slipper or shoe. Because the flower really has a 'pouch' like a little shoe, the name came to mean these orchids with a pouch-shaped flower.