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lady's-slipper

American  
[ley-deez-slip-er] / ˈleɪ dizˌslɪp ər /
Or lady-slipper

noun

  1. any orchid of the genus Cypripedium, the flowers of which have a protruding petal somewhat resembling a slipper: all species are reduced in numbers, some greatly.

  2. any of several other related plants having similar flowers, as of the genera Paphiopedilum and Phragmipedium.

lady's-slipper British  

noun

  1. any of various orchids of the Eurasian genus Cypripedium, esp C. calceolus, having reddish or purple flowers See also moccasin flower cypripedium

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of lady's-slipper

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.