blue-eyed Mary

9.5

A small wildflower with blue and white flowers that grows in eastern North American woods

noun

: María de ojos azules

We identified the delicate blue-eyed Mary by its bright blue and white blossoms.

Examples

In early spring, hikers often admire the charming blue-eyed Mary along shady woodland trails.
The forest floor was dotted with clusters of blue-eyed Mary in full bloom.
Look at that blue-eyed Mary!
The blue-eyed Mary blooms beautifully.
In early spring, hikers often admire the charming blue-eyed Mary along shady woodland trails.
The forest floor was dotted with clusters of blue-eyed Mary in full bloom.
We identified the delicate blue-eyed Mary by its bright blue and white blossoms.

Synonyms

Collinsia verna

vsblue-eyed Mary

Specialized

9.9

A plant with blue and white flowers that grows in the eastern United States

is the common everyday name used for the same plant

Surface Forms

blue-eyed Mary singular

blue-eyed Marys plural

Morphology

blue-eyed + Mary

Although 'blue-eyed' transparently describes having blue eyes, the addition of the proper name 'Mary' forms a conventional plant name; knowing the constituents does not allow a learner to infer that the phrase denotes an eastern North American wildflower. A B1 learner who knows 'blue', 'eyed' and 'Mary' would more likely think of a person with blue eyes rather than a species of flower, so the overall meaning is not derivable from the parts.

Etymology

The plant blue-eyed Mary is named for its small flowers: the word blue describes the colour and eyed points to the bright spot that looks like an 'eye'. That's why blue-eyed Mary now refers to this little spring 'wildflower'.