butterfly plant
- noun
:
orquídea mariposa
- The butterfly plant blooms beautifully in spring.
Examples
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My grandmother keeps a butterfly plant on her windowsill to brighten up the living room.
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The butterfly plant thrives in bright, indirect sunlight and needs only moderate watering.
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Gardeners often choose the butterfly plant for its decorative sprays of colorful flowers.
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I bought a butterfly plant for my garden.
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The butterfly plant's vibrant blooms attract a variety of colorful butterflies to the garden.
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In spring, the butterfly plant fills the air with its sweet fragrance, making it a favorite among gardeners.
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She decided to add a butterfly plant to her collection, drawn by its beautiful and fragrant flowers.
Synonyms
106
3.9
A plant with unusual colorful flowers that often last a long time
1
9.9
A type of orchid from Asia and Australia grown for its pretty flowers
1
6.7
A houseplant with large flat flowers and wide shiny leaves
A flower with bright petals that look like a butterfly
An orchid with colorful flowers that look like a butterfly
A plant with unusually shaped, colorful flowers often grown in pots
A small southern European orchid with pale green and white flowers that smell sweet
A small European orchid with fragrant pale greenish-white flowers
A European orchid with large dark green flowers that have a faint smell
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a transparent noun–noun compound where 'butterfly' modifies 'plant', so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a plant associated with or resembling butterflies (i.e., with butterfly-like, colorful flowers). The meaning is compositional and not idiomatic, so the general referent is predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
The noun butterfly plant comes from the look of its flowers, which have wing-like petals that make little butterflies on the plant. Gardeners began to call this kind of orchid a 'butterfly plant', so today the name means 'a plant with flowers that look like butterflies'.