orchard
Americannoun
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an area of land devoted to the cultivation of fruit or nut trees.
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a group or collection of such trees.
noun
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an area of land devoted to the cultivation of fruit trees
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a collection of fruit trees especially cultivated
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of orchard
before 900; Middle English orch ( i ) ard, Old English orceard; replacing ortyard, Middle English ortyerd, Old English ortigeard (compare Gothic aurtigards garden), equivalent to ort- (combining form akin to wort 2; later identified with Latin hortus garden) + geard yard 2
Explanation
An orchard is a tree garden. If you visit New England in autumn, make sure to stop by a local apple orchard and pick a few baskets to take home. From the Old English orceard blossomed our modern-day spelling of orchard, a noun meaning “fruit farm.” But you can also use the word figuratively to refer to something filled with treats or precious content. The US Congregational minister, Henry Ward Beecher, was famous for having proclaimed, “A book is a garden, an orchard, a storehouse, a party, a company by the way, a counselor, a multitude of counselors.”
Vocabulary lists containing orchard
The Balcony Scene from "Romeo and Juliet"
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"Mending Wall," by Robert Frost
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"Water at Work"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s the reason that newly built neighborhoods such as Orchard Hills in Irvine require higher fireproofing standards for homes on the outer rim of the community.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 12, 2025
Authorities say the suspect approached residences on the 1100 block of 28th Street and the 2600 block of Orchard Avenue, claiming he was there to fix a water leak.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 8, 2025
Koch, who returned as CEO in August, said the company is encouraged by positive reactions to its Sun Cruiser brand innovation and a second consecutive quarter of growth for its Angry Orchard business.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025
Growing more than 140 varieties of apple, Scott Farm Orchard in Dummerston, Vt., offers pick-your-own fruit and cider tastings.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025
Mr. Barkley and Mr. Kamata were going to be the chaperones for all the kids who lived in the Casa Rosada and the rest of the eight hundred block of Orchard Avenue.
From "The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
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.
