leopard plant
- noun
- /ˈlɛpərd plænt/
- Gardeners often choose the leopard plant for its striking, glossy leaves and ease of care.
Examples
-
The leopard plant thrived in the shady corner of the garden, adding color with its bright yellow blossoms.
-
The leopard plant blooms beautifully in the spring.
-
I bought a leopard plant at the nursery to liven up my backyard patio.
-
I bought a leopard plant for my garden.
-
Gardeners often choose the leopard plant for its striking, glossy leaves and ease of care.
-
I bought a leopard plant at the nursery to brighten up my backyard patio.
-
The leopard plant thrives in shaded areas, showcasing its large spotted leaves during the summer.
Synonyms
A garden plant that lives for many years with large leaves and bright yellow or orange flower spikes
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly built from the constituents: 'leopard' evokes a spotted appearance and 'plant' denotes a plant, so a learner can infer it refers to a plant with leopard-like (spotted) leaves or patterning. This straightforward descriptive compounding is cross-linguistically common and does not require idiomatic knowledge, so a B1 learner who knows both words should understand it.
Etymology
Leopard plant gets its name from the plant's big, shiny leaves that have dark spots like a leopard's coat. People began calling the plant a 'leopard' plant because those spots make it easy to picture the leaf pattern.