Houseplants

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of vegetation cultivated indoors for aesthetic purposes or air purification in residences
2. Plants specifically grown within homes for ornamental value or to improve indoor air quality
3. Flora typically raised inside living spaces to enhance decor or filter air pollutants

Etymology: "Houseplants" is the plural of "houseplant," a compound of "house" and "plant." The pairing is transparent: "plant" in its ordinary sense of a living growing organism, and "house" in the sense of a dwelling, so a houseplant is simply a plant kept inside a home. The compound shows the same logic as other formations built on "house," such as "housefly" or "housework," where the first element narrows the second to a domestic setting. Because the word is a plain combination of two common English words rather than a borrowing or a coinage with a famous originator, its history is mostly a matter of how the parts were put together. Its meaning has stayed close to its literal parts, with no dramatic shift from the original sense.

Synonyms: indoor plants, potted plants