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Glite Dictionary
fairy-slipper

fairy-slipper

9.9
A rare small orchid with one white or pink flower on a red stalk above one leaf
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : orquídea zapatilla de hada
  • The delicate blooms of the fairy-slipper are easily missed unless you look closely.

Examples

  • Botanists were excited to spot several fairy-slippers during their survey of the wetland.

  • We found a breathtaking fairy-slipper growing in the shade of the mossy forest.

  • I spotted a fairy-slipper in the forest.

  • Have you ever seen a fairy-slipper orchid?

  • Botanists were excited to spot several fairy-slippers during their survey of the wetland.

  • The delicate blooms of the fairy-slipper are easily missed unless you look closely.

  • We found a breathtaking fairy-slipper growing in the shade of the mossy forest.

Synonyms

Calypso bulbosa
vsfairy-slipper
  • Specialized
9.9

A rare orchid that grows in northern bogs with one pink or white flower above a single leaf

has identical meaning but uses a different name form
calypso
vsfairy-slipper
  • UK
9.9

A rare forest orchid with a single white or pink flower that grows on the ground

has identical meaning but uses a different name form

Surface Forms

fairy-slipper singular
fairy-slippers plural

Morphology

fairy-slipper = fairy + slipper (transparent) = fairy + slipper

The compound combines two familiar nouns and the flower's name clearly refers to a slipper-like shape associated with 'fairy', making the metaphorical sense easy for learners to infer.

Etymology

Fairy-slipper comes from the two simple words fairy ('a small magical creature') and slipper ('a soft shoe'). People named the orchid this because its single flower has a little pouch that looks like a tiny shoe a fairy might wear, so the name helps you remember this rare, delicate orchid.