ladies' tresses
- noun
- /ˈleɪdiz ˈtrɛsɪz/
:
trenzas de dama
- While hiking in the meadow, we spotted a cluster of ladies' tresses blooming among the tall grasses.
Examples
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The delicate spiral of the ladies' tresses makes it a favorite among wildflower enthusiasts.
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He photographed several species of ladies' tresses during his botanical survey.
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Look at those stunning ladies' tresses by the river!
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Have you ever spotted ladies' tresses in the wild?
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During our nature walk, we were delighted to find a patch of ladies' tresses growing near the stream.
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Botanists often admire ladies' tresses for their unique spiral flower spikes that attract pollinators.
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I took a close-up photo of the ladies' tresses to capture its intricate floral details.
Synonyms
A small orchid with slender twisted spikes of white flowers
A group of orchid plants that grow on the ground with white flowers in a spiral
A group of ground orchids with spiral, mostly white flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
ladies' + tress
The phrase literally combines 'ladies'' (women's) with 'tresses' (locks of hair), so a B1 learner who knows both words would likely infer something hair-related or something that looks like women's hair. However, the conventionalized meaning — the name of an orchid — is a metaphorical extension and not fully predictable as a plant name without prior exposure, making the expression only partially transparent.
Etymology
Ladies' tresses comes from how the small white flowers grow twisted around the stem, looking like a woman's braided hair. The word tresses means long hair, so this clear picture explains why the name refers to this kind of orchid.
