showy lady's-slipper

9.9

A wild North American orchid with pale pink and white flowers and a large pouch

noun
/ˈʃoʊi ˈleɪdizˌslɪpər/

: zapatilla de dama vistosa

We spotted a showy lady's-slipper blooming along the edge of the wetland trail.

Examples

Photographers travel each June to capture the beauty of the showy lady's-slipper in full bloom.
The showy lady's-slipper, with its pale pink and white flowers, is a beautiful addition to any wildflower garden.
The showy lady's-slipper is protected in many states due to its rarity.
The showy lady's-slipper is a rare flower in our region.
I saw a beautiful showy lady's-slipper in the forest.
In early spring, the showy lady's-slipper blooms attract many admirers with its unique pouch-like lip.
I spotted a rare showy lady's-slipper while hiking through the lush, green forest last weekend.

Synonyms

lady's slipper

vsshowy lady's-slipper

30 9.8

A North American wildflower with a slipper-shaped lower petal

is specific to one pale pink northeastern species rather than multiple types

slipper orchid

vsshowy lady's-slipper

1 9.2

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

is the specific northeastern pale pink form rather than the broad garden category

showy lady slipper

vsshowy lady's-slipper

9.9

A pale pink wild orchid with a pouch-like lower petal

is the common general name used for that single pale pink species

Cypripedium album

vsshowy lady's-slipper

Specialized

9.9

A pale pink wild orchid with a pouch-like lip from northeastern America

refers to the same plant using a botanical label rather than a common name

Cypripedium reginae

vsshowy lady's-slipper

Specialized

9.9

A wild orchid with pale pink pouch-shaped flowers that grows in wet places

is the broader common label used for that species in ordinary language

common lady's-slipper

vsshowy lady's-slipper

9.9

A pale pink wild orchid with a pouch-shaped petal that grows in northeastern North America

is the usual everyday name for that particular regional plant

lady's-slipper

vsshowy lady's-slipper

9.6

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

is narrower, applying to a single pale pink regional species rather than the whole genus

lady slipper

vsshowy lady's-slipper

Specialized

9.9

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

focuses on the single pale pink flower itself rather than cultivation traits

lady-slipper

vsshowy lady's-slipper

9.9

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

is limited to the pale pink northeastern variety rather than a wider group

ladies' slipper

vsshowy lady's-slipper

9.0

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

is the specific pale pink northeastern form rather than the general family member

Surface Forms

showy lady's-slipper singular

showy lady's-slippers plural

Morphology

showy + lady's-slipper

The adjective 'showy' is fully transparent (meaning attractive or conspicuous), but the noun 'lady's-slipper' is a lexicalized common name for a specific orchid and its meaning ('a type of wild orchid') is not predictable from 'lady' + 'slipper' alone. Because one constituent is transparent while the crucial noun is a conventionalized, somewhat idiomatic plant name, the whole phrase is only partially predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The name showy lady's-slipper comes from how the flower looks. Its lower petal forms a big, pouch-like shape that looks like a small shoe, so people called it a lady's slipper, and 'showy' means 'large and eye-catching', which is why the name describes this bright, slipper-shaped orchid.