forget-me-not
UK[fəˈɡet mi nɒt]US[fərˈɡet mi nɑːt]
n
A small plant with light blue flowers, often grown in gardens.
Etymology
The word 'forget-me-not' is a direct loan translation from the Old French "ne m'oubliez mie," which was itself inspired by the flower's use as a symbol of remembrance and fidelity in medieval romance. The name entered English in the 15th century, carrying the literal imperative plea "do not forget me." Over time, this evocative phrase became lexicalized, shedding its original syntactic structure to function as a single, common noun for the Myosotis genus of plants. Its evolution exemplifies how a complete descriptive phrase can fossilize into a standard term for an object, with the romantic sentiment permanently embedded in its name.
Analysis
This is a fixed, idiomatic phrase adopted as a single lexical unit (compound noun). It is not productively formed from separable morphemes in modern English.
Examples
A cluster of forget-me-nots grew along the edge of the stream.
She wore a small bouquet of forget-me-nots in her hair.
The forget-me-not is the state flower of Alaska.