leporine feature
- noun
- /ˈlɛpəˌraɪn ˈfiːtʃər/
:
rasgo leporino
- The artist skillfully captured the leporine feature of the animal's ears in her drawing.
Examples
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His gentle face had a distinctly leporine feature that made him look soft and approachable.
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In fairy tales, characters with a leporine feature are often depicted as timid but clever.
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The artist captured her leporine feature beautifully in the painting.
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He has a distinct leporine feature that makes him look quite unique.
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His gentle face had a distinctly leporine feature that made him look soft and approachable.
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In fairy tales, characters with a leporine feature are often depicted as timid but clever.
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He has a distinct leporine feature that makes him look quite unique.
How Rabbitlike
Surface Forms
Morphology
leporine + feature
The phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'leporine' (= rabbit-like) modifies 'feature' (a trait), so the combined meaning 'a rabbit-like characteristic' is directly derivable from the constituents. Although 'leporine' is rare and likely unknown to many B1 learners, if a learner knows the meanings of both words the phrase is immediately interpretable.
Etymology
The phrase leporine feature comes from the word for 'hare' or 'rabbit'; leporine names the rabbit-like quality and feature means a part or trait. That's why leporine feature describes a face or trait that looks 'like a rabbit'.
