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Glite Dictionary
icicle plant

icicle plant

9.6
A small plant with white flowers and thick hairy leaves that look like ice
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : planta de carámbano
  • Gardeners appreciate the distinctive appearance of the icicle plant in rock gardens and borders.

Examples

  • The nursery featured a striking row of icicle plants glistening in the sun.

  • The icicle plant thrives in warm climates and requires minimal care.

  • Look at the icicle plant!

  • The icicle plant thrives in warm climates.

  • Gardeners appreciate the distinctive appearance of the icicle plant in rock gardens and borders.

  • The icicle plant thrives in warm climates and requires minimal care.

  • The nursery featured a striking row of icicle plants glistening in the sun.

Synonyms

ice plant
vsicicle plant
1 7.0

A low plant with thick leaves that look covered in tiny shiny hairs like ice

is the Old World annual often naturalized with white flowers and fleshy hair-covered foliage
Mesembryanthemum crystallinum
vsicicle plant
  • Specialized
9.9

A small plant with thick, fleshy leaves that look like ice crystals and white flowers

is the common annual with hairy fleshy foliage that looks iced over

Surface Forms

icicle plant singular
icicle plants plural

Morphology

icicle + plant

The compound is a descriptive noun-noun combination: 'icicle' (thin hanging ice) + 'plant' straightforwardly denotes a plant associated with or resembling icicles (i.e., foliage that looks as if covered with ice). This is not idiomatic or metaphorically shifted but simply naming a visible property, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Icicle plant gets its name from the plant's pale, fuzzy leaves and small white flowers that shine like tiny icicles on a plant. So the name helps you picture the plant as looking a little 'icy', which is why gardeners call it that.