satyr orchid
- noun
- South African
:
orquídea satyr
- With its striking, irregular flowers, the satyr orchid easily attracts the attention of visitors.
Examples
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The botanical garden added a rare satyr orchid to its collection this year.
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Many enthusiasts travel to South Africa to see the satyr orchid blooming in the wild.
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The satyr orchid blooms beautifully in the spring.
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Have you ever seen a satyr orchid in the wild?
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Many enthusiasts travel to South Africa to see the satyr orchid blooming in the wild.
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The botanical garden added a rare satyr orchid to its collection this year.
-
With its striking, irregular flowers, the satyr orchid easily attracts the attention of visitors.
Synonyms
An orchid with broad leaves and green, oddly shaped flowers
A small wild orchid that grows in cold places in Europe and North America
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'orchid' provides the core meaning (a flowering plant) and 'satyr' simply narrows it as a type or name of orchid, so a learner who knows both words will infer it refers to an orchid associated with or named after a satyr. This is a straightforward compositional noun compound rather than an idiom, so the overall meaning is immediately comprehensible to B1 learners who know the constituents.
Etymology
Satyr orchid gets its name from the wild creature of Greek myth called the satyr, because people thought the orchid's strange, irregular flowers looked a little like a satyr's face or small horns. That's why satyr orchid today refers to a showy orchid with odd, irregular flowers often found in southern Africa.
