beefsteak begonia
- noun
- /ˈbifˌsteɪk bɪˈɡoʊnɪə/
:
begonia carne
- With proper care, a beefsteak begonia can thrive indoors for many years.
Examples
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The beefsteak begonia is popular for its lush, colorful leaves.
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She placed a beefsteak begonia on her office windowsill to brighten the space.
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The beefsteak begonia thrives in indirect sunlight.
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I bought a beefsteak begonia for my living room.
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She placed a beefsteak begonia on her office windowsill to brighten the space.
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The beefsteak begonia is popular for its lush, colorful leaves.
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With proper care, a beefsteak begonia can thrive indoors for many years.
Synonyms
2
6.5
A plant with bright flowers and attractive leaves often grown for decoration
A plant often grown indoors with round thick leaves that are red underneath
A houseplant with round, fleshy leaves that are red underneath
A houseplant with round, thick leaves that are red underneath and kidney-shaped
Surface Forms
Morphology
The name is a noun-noun compound where 'beefsteak' evokes a large, fleshy cut and therefore signals a begonia that resembles that quality, so a learner who knows both words could infer it is a kind of begonia with large/fleshy leaves. However, the full botanical details (ornamental foliage, red underside) and the conventional plant name are not fully predictable from the constituents alone, making the relation partly figurative rather than strictly compositional.
Etymology
Beefsteak begonia may come from the way its large, thick leaves look. People thought the round, fleshy leaves with red undersides looked like a piece of beefsteak meat, so they used that picture when naming the begonia. That's why the name now means a begonia grown for its big, colorful leaves.