red-spotted purple
- noun
- Specialized
:
mariposa púrpura manchada de rojo
- I spotted a red-spotted purple resting with its wings closed, showing the distinctive red markings.
Examples
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The red-spotted purple is often seen fluttering through wooded areas in summer.
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Unlike the banded purple, the red-spotted purple has bright red spots on the underside of its wings.
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I spotted a beautiful red-spotted purple in the garden.
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The red-spotted purples are known for their vibrant colors.
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The red-spotted purple butterfly can often be seen fluttering around the meadows in late spring.
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Children are excited to spot the red-spotted purple butterfly during their nature walk.
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The garden attracted many visitors who hoped to see the beautiful red-spotted purple fluttering among the flowers.
Synonyms
A North American butterfly with blue and black wings and red spots under the wings
A North American butterfly with blue-black wings and a wide white band
Surface Forms
Morphology
red-spotted + purple
Both constituents are semantically transparent: 'red-spotted' means 'having red spots' and 'purple' names the color. The compound therefore compositionaly denotes something purple with red spots (here a butterfly), a common cross-linguistic naming pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the words will understand the basic meaning.
Etymology
Red-spotted purple is named for the bright red spots on the lower side of its purple wings, so you can imagine a purple wing dotted with red. So, the name points to what it is today: 'a butterfly with red spots'.
