queen of the night
1
8.3
- noun
- /kwin əv ðə naɪt/
:
reina de la noche
- The queen of the night flower bloomed beautifully last evening.
Examples
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The queen of the night bloomed in our garden, filling the air with a sweet fragrance.
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Gardeners often stay up late just to witness the queen of the night flower open for a few hours.
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My grandmother cherishes her queen of the night plant and proudly shows its rare blossoms to visitors.
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I saw a queen of the night in my neighbor's garden.
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The queen of the night cactus blooms only at night, filling the garden with its sweet fragrance.
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Many gardeners admire the queen of the night for its stunning flowers that only open in the dark.
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After sunset, the queen of the night reveals its large, white blossoms, attracting nighttime pollinators.
Synonyms
A tropical climbing cactus with triangular stems and large fragrant flowers that open at night, often grown in gardens
A climbing cactus that grows on other plants and opens large, fragrant flowers at night
A cactus with large, fragrant flowers that open at night and wilt by morning
A tropical climbing plant with white, sweet-smelling flowers that open at night
Surface Forms
Morphology
The combination of 'queen' + 'night' makes it reasonably clear to a B1 learner that the phrase names something prominent or notable at night (so one could infer it refers to a night-associated thing, e.g., a striking night flower). However, the exact referent — a specific tropical night-blooming cactus species — is a specialised botanical sense that cannot be fully predicted from the constituents and requires prior exposure or domain knowledge.
Etymology
Queen of the night is a name that pictures a royal flower that opens after dark; its large, sweet-smelling blooms appear for only a few hours. That's why the words queen (something grand) and night help you remember the plant 'blooms at night'.