joseph's coat
joseph's coat Lexical Profile
• noun
The ornate, multicolored garment given to the biblical figure Joseph by his father Jacob, symbolizing his father's special favor.
"The story of Joseph's coat of many colors remains one of the most famous narratives in the Book of Genesis."
A tropical plant (Amaranthus tricolor) native to South America and Asia, widely cultivated as an ornamental for its brightly colored, variegated foliage in shades of red, yellow, and green.
"The gardener planted Joseph's coat along the border to add a striking splash of red and yellow to the landscape."
Word Nuance & Usage
Always capitalized as 'Joseph's coat'. In common usage, it frequently refers to the tropical plant rather than the literal biblical garment.
Word Origin & Etymology
Named in allusion to the biblical 'coat of many colors' given to Joseph by his father Jacob (Genesis 37:3), referencing the strikingly multicolored leaves of the plant.