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Glite Dictionary
lady slipper

lady slipper

9.9
A wild North American orchid with a pouch-shaped lower petal that is hard to grow in gardens
  • noun
  • /ˈleɪdi ˈslɪpər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : zapato de dama
  • The rare lady slipper orchids can be found growing in moist, shaded areas of North American forests.

Examples

  • The lady slipper is a rare flower.

  • Gardeners often find the lady slipper difficult to grow outside its natural habitat.

  • Several species of lady slipper are now protected due to their rarity.

  • The lady slipper is admired for its delicate beauty in the wild.

  • Have you seen a lady slipper in bloom?

  • In the spring, I love to hike in the forest and admire the beautiful lady slippers that bloom along the trails.

  • Our garden club is always disappointed because we can't cultivate lady slippers successfully in our backyards.

Synonyms

lady's slipper
vslady slipper
  • US
30 9.8

A North American wildflower with a slipper-shaped lower petal

is the specific North American sense that also notes cultivation difficulty
slipper orchid
vslady slipper
1 9.2

A wild orchid with a pouch-shaped lower petal that is hard to grow in gardens

has identical meaning but states North American origin
lady's-slipper
vslady slipper
  • US
9.6

A wildflower with a pouch-shaped lower petal that grows in shaded woods

is the general term focusing on pouch shape and cultivation difficulty
ladies' slipper
vslady slipper
  • US
9.0

A wild orchid that has a pouch-shaped lower petal like a small shoe

focuses on the same plant but adds cultivation impossibility
lady-slipper
vslady slipper
9.9

A wild orchid with a large pouch-shaped lower petal like a slipper

restricts use to North America and notes difficulty cultivating them

Surface Forms

lady slipper singular
lady slippers plural

Morphology

lady + slipper

Although the words 'lady' and 'slipper' are individually transparent (a woman and a type of shoe), the compound refers to a specific orchid named for its slipper‑shaped part. A B1 learner might guess a slipper shape from the constituents but would not reliably infer that the term denotes a particular wild orchid or its botanical properties, so the relation is only partially predictable.

Etymology

Lady slipper is named for the flower's pouch that looks like a small slipper a lady might wear, so people began calling this wild orchid 'lady slipper'.