Joseph's coat
- noun
- /ˈdʒoʊzəfz koʊt/
:
planta de José
- The garden was full of Joseph's coat plants, their leaves displaying vivid shades of red, yellow, and green.
Examples
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She chose Joseph's coat to add a splash of color to her flowerbeds.
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In warmer climates, Joseph's coat can be grown outdoors year-round as a decorative foliage plant.
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I bought a beautiful Joseph's coat for my garden.
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Have you seen the Joseph's coats at the nursery?
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In warmer climates, Joseph's coat can be grown outdoors year-round as a decorative foliage plant.
-
The garden was full of Joseph's coat plants, their leaves displaying vivid shades of red, yellow, and green.
-
She chose Joseph's coat to add a splash of color to her flowerbeds.
Synonyms
A garden plant with large, brightly coloured leaves grown for decoration
A garden plant with large bright patterned leaves grown for its color, also called coleus
A garden plant with large bright leaves that people grow for color
A tropical plant with bright, colorful leaves grown for gardens or pots
Surface Forms
Morphology
Joseph's + coat
The word 'coat' (a covering or layer) signals a coloured or variegated covering, so part of the meaning is inferable, but 'Joseph's' is a cultural/proper-name reference (to the biblical 'coat of many colors') that does not itself indicate a plant. The expression names a specific ornamental plant and relies on cultural/horticultural knowledge to link the metaphor to leaves, so learners who only know the literal words would get a partial idea (colourful covering) but not reliably infer the botanical referent.
Etymology
Joseph's coat comes from the Bible story of Joseph, who was given a 'coat of many colours'. The plant's leaves have bright, many-coloured patches like that coat, so gardeners call the colourful plant Joseph's coat.
