Christmas flower
- noun
- /ˈkrɪs·məs ˈflaʊər/
:
flor de Navidad
- Photo #7 is of a Christmas flower, flaming red with delicate crenated edges, an unusual bloom for this place and season.
Examples
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During the holiday season, many homes are decorated with a vibrant Christmas flower, particularly the traditional poinsettia.
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The florist filled the shop with beautiful Christmas flowers, showcasing the bright colors of the poinsettia.
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For the festive celebration, she chose a stunning Christmas flower arrangement featuring red poinsettias and green foliage.
Synonyms
3
7.0
A tropical plant with bright red leaves that people put on tables at Christmas
A plant with bright red leaves often used as a Christmas decoration
A tropical plant with bright red leaves and poisonous milky sap
A tropical American shrub with poisonous milky sap and bright red leaf-like parts around small yellow flowers
A tropical American plant with poisonous sap and bright red leaf-like bracts surrounding small yellow flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a flower associated with Christmas' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'Christmas' (the holiday) with 'flower' (a plant reproductive structure). This straightforward compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common and predictable, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the MWE's basic meaning even if they might not identify the specific species (poinsettia).
Etymology
Christmas flower may come from the poinsettia's bright red leaves that look like festive petals, making a strong holiday picture. Because people put these plants in churches and homes at Christmas, the name came to mean 'a plant used for the holiday'.