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Glite Dictionary
button fern

button fern

6.2
A small fern with round leaves that people often grow indoors
  • noun
  • New Zealand
translation icon : helecho botón
  • We placed a button fern in the window to brighten up the kitchen.

Examples

  • I bought a button fern for my living room.

  • Gardeners recommend the button fern for terrariums because of its compact size and lush appearance.

  • The button fern is prized for its ornamental, rounded leaves and cascading growth.

  • The button fern thrives in low light.

  • The button fern adds a touch of greenery to my living room.

  • She decided to care for a button fern because of its unique round leaflets.

  • The button fern thrived in the humid atmosphere of the bathroom.

Synonyms

Pellaea rotundifolia
vsbutton fern
  • Specialized
9.9

A fern from New Zealand and Australia with round dark green leaves on trailing stems

is usually grown indoors as a decorative plant with round leaflets
Indian button fern
vsbutton fern
  • Indian
8.2

A small fern with round buttonlike growths on its leaves that grows in warm, humid places

is cultivated indoors for decoration rather than noted for bulb reproduction
Tectaria cicutaria
vsbutton fern
  • Specialized
9.9

A Jamaican fern with round, buttonlike growths on its leaves

is commonly grown indoors as an ornamental with round leaflets

Surface Forms

button fern singular
button ferns plural

Morphology

button + fern

The meaning 'a small fern with round, buttonlike leaflets' is directly and transparently built from 'button' (button-shaped) modifying 'fern' (a plant), so the overall sense is a descriptive compound. This adjective-like compounding pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows regular English noun-modifier composition, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the meaning.

Etymology

Button fern comes from its tiny, round leaves that look like little buttons, so the name creates a clear image. That's why the name helps you remember it is a small fern often grown as a houseplant.