male orchis
- noun
:
orquídea macho
- The vibrant colors of the male orchis attract many pollinators.
Examples
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We spotted a male orchis growing at the edge of the meadow.
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Botanists studied the habitat of the male orchis in the wild.
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Look at that male orchis blooming over there!
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What a beautiful male orchis!
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The vibrant colors of the male orchis attract many pollinators.
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We spotted a male orchis growing at the edge of the meadow.
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Look at that male orchis blooming over there!
Synonyms
A wild orchid with pink or purple flowers in a loose cluster that blooms in spring
A wild orchid with bright pink or purple flowers that grows in meadows and woods
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward compositional noun phrase: 'male' qualifies the botanical noun 'Orchis', so the phrase denotes an Orchis plant that is male or has male reproductive characteristics. The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents and follows ordinary adjective + noun composition (a pattern common across languages), so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand it.
Etymology
Male orchis comes from old names for orchids: orchis comes from a Greek word meaning 'testicle' because the plant has two round root bulbs, and male was added to the plant's name. So the name paints a clear picture of the plant's two round underground bulbs and helps people recognize this wild orchid.
