Christmas begonia
- noun
:
begonia de Navidad
- The Christmas begonia adds a splash of color to indoor spaces during the winter months.
Examples
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Gardeners appreciate the vibrant blooms of the Christmas begonia when most other flowers are dormant.
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My grandmother always places a Christmas begonia on her windowsill for the holidays.
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My mother loves her Christmas begonia.
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The Christmas begonias bloom beautifully in winter.
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Gardeners appreciate the vibrant blooms of the Christmas begonia when most other flowers are dormant.
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The Christmas begonia adds a splash of color to indoor spaces during the winter months.
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My grandmother always places a Christmas begonia on her windowsill for the holidays.
Synonyms
A hybrid flowering plant that blooms in winter with many large pink flowers
A begonia with many large pink flowers that blooms in winter
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositionally transparent: a learner who knows 'Christmas' (the holiday/season) and 'begonia' (a decorative flowering plant) can infer this is a begonia associated with Christmas or grown/used at that time. The pattern of naming plant varieties or seasonal items after occasions (e.g., 'Christmas tree', 'Easter lily') is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner would readily understand the meaning.
Etymology
The plant name Christmas begonia comes from the simple picture of a begonia that blooms around Christmas. Because these bright indoor flowers open in winter, the name now means 'a begonia grown for winter decoration'.
