lady's smock
- noun
:
flor de la dama
- Every spring, the meadows are dotted with delicate lady's smock blooms.
Examples
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She picked a bouquet of lady's smock for the kitchen table.
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I spotted a field full of lady's smocks yesterday.
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Lady's smock thrives in damp, grassy fields across Europe and North America.
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The lady's smock blooms beautifully in spring.
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Lady's smock, known for its pale lilac flowers, is often found in wet meadows during spring.
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In early May, the fields are covered in vibrant lavender patches of lady's smock.
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Farmers appreciate the beauty of lady's smock as it indicates healthy, moisture-rich soil.
Synonyms
A plant that lives many years with light purple flowers in spring
A wild plant with small pale pink or white flowers that grows in damp meadows
A wild plant with pink or white flowers that grows in damp meadows
How Showy
Surface Forms
Morphology
lady's + smock
The literal constituents 'lady's' (possessive of 'lady') and 'smock' (a type of garment) point to clothing rather than a plant, so a learner knowing those words would not predict a wildflower meaning. 'Lady's smock' is a conventionalized plant name (cuckooflower) whose reference is arbitrary and language-specific, making the meaning non‑derivable from the parts for a B1 learner.
Etymology
Lady's smock gets its name from the way the flower's pale, soft petals look like a tiny old-fashioned smock a woman might wear. People long ago thought the little blossoms looked like tiny dresses blowing in the breeze. That's why the name 'lady's smock' is used for this small spring wildflower today.