lady's slipper
30
9.8
- noun
- /ˈleɪdiz ˈslɪpər/
- US
:
zapatilla de dama
- In spring, the forest floor is adorned with beautiful lady's slipper flowers that bloom among the ferns.
- lady's slipper
- lady's slipper orchid
- lady's slipper seed
Examples
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The lady's slipper orchid is known for its unique, slipper-shaped flower that attracts many admirers.
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Black-eyed Susan in the meadows, Indian paintbrush by the road, lady's slippers in the shady spots.
Fiction book (1995) -
Bird watchers often discover lady's slipper orchids while exploring the lush trails of North America.
Synonyms
1
9.2
A wild orchid with a pouch-shaped lower petal that is hard to grow in gardens
A wildflower with a pouch-shaped lower petal that grows in shaded woods
A wild North American orchid with a pouch-shaped lower petal that is hard to grow in gardens
A wild orchid that has a pouch-shaped lower petal like a small shoe
A wild orchid with a large pouch-shaped lower petal like a slipper
A group of orchid plants with slipper-shaped flowers
A yellow orchid with a slipper-shaped lower petal that grows in woods
A type of orchid with a yellow pouch-shaped lip and dark red-brown petals
An orchid with dark red to purple-brown flowers and a bright yellow slipper-shaped lip
An orchid with dark red flowers and a yellow slipper-shaped lip
A pink forest flower shaped like a slipper
A pale pink wild orchid with a pouch-shaped petal that grows in northeastern North America
A wild orchid with white and pale purple slipper-shaped flowers that grows in shaded northern forests
A rare wild orchid with a red and white lip shaped like a ram's head
A wild orchid from western North America that grows in small groups with short stems and brownish pouch-like flowers
A rare wild orchid with yellow-green flowers and a white pouch found in northern California and southwestern Oregon
A wild North American orchid with pale pink and white flowers and a large pouch
A pale pink wild orchid with a pouch-like lower petal
A wild lady's slipper orchid with white and purple flowers that grows in northwest North America
A North American wild flower with greenish-yellow pouch-shaped flowers and purple marks
Surface Forms
Morphology
lady's + slipper
The compound is a descriptive name: 'lady's' + 'slipper' signals something that looks like a woman's slipper, so a learner who knows the words can infer a shoe-like shape. However, the specific referent being a particular orchid (a wildflower) is a lexicalized botanical sense that may not be fully predictable without exposure, so the transparency is partial.
Etymology
Lady's slipper may come from the flower's pouch that looks like a small shoe, like a slipper a lady would wear. So the plant is called lady's slipper because its flower looks like a tiny slipper.