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Glite Dictionary
mistletoe fig

mistletoe fig

9.1
A small tropical tree grown as a houseplant with thick waxy round leaves
  • noun
  • /ˈmɪsəlˌtoʊ fɪg/
  • Specialized
translation icon : higuera muérdago
  • The mistletoe fig thrives in bright, indirect sunlight and makes a great addition to any living room.

Examples

  • She watered her mistletoe fig every week to keep its waxy leaves healthy.

  • I bought a mistletoe fig because I love its unique, round foliage.

  • The mistletoe fig is a popular houseplant.

  • I bought a mistletoe fig for my living room.

  • The mistletoe fig thrives in bright, indirect sunlight and makes a great addition to any living room.

  • She watered her mistletoe fig every week to keep its waxy leaves healthy.

  • I bought a mistletoe fig because I love its unique, round foliage.

Synonyms

Ficus deltoidea
vsmistletoe fig
  • Specialized
8.9

A small bush or tree with mistletoe-like leaves often kept as a houseplant

is the common houseplant name for that exact species
mistletoe rubber plant
vsmistletoe fig
8.6

A small houseplant with shiny round leaves that grow close together

is a specific species with leathery leaves rather than general foliage

Surface Forms

mistletoe fig singular
mistletoe figs plural

Morphology

mistletoe + fig

This compound is directly compositional: a B1 learner who knows 'mistletoe' and 'fig' can infer it refers to a fig (type of plant) that is in some way like or related to mistletoe (e.g. resembling it). The noun+noun formation is a common, cross-linguistic naming pattern for plant types, so the meaning is immediately derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

The plant mistletoe fig gets its name from its leaves. People thought the small, thick, round leaves looked like the holiday plant mistletoe, so a kind of fig was named for that look, which is why the name tells you what the plant looks like today.