any terrestrial or epiphytic plant of the family Orchidaceae, of temperate and tropical regions, having usually showy flowers.
the flower of any of these plants.
a bluish to reddish purple.
What does orchid- mean? Orchid- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning either “testicle” (testis) or "orchid." In medicine, it refers to testicles. In botany, it refers to orchid flowers. Orchid- comes from the Greek órchis, meaning “testicle.” How did the Greek word for testicle give rise to the name of a type of beautiful flower? Well, the roots of orchids were thought to resemble testicles. Learn more at our entry for orchis. Orchid- is a variant of orchido-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use orchido- article. The combining forms orchi-, as in orchiectomy, and orchio-, as in orchioplasty, are other variants of this combining form used to refer to testicles in medical terms.
1835–45; < New Latin Orchideae (later Orchidaceae ) family name, equivalent to Latin orch ( is ) a plant ( see orchis) + -ideae, irregular suffix ( cf. -idae); see -id 2
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While the rewards can be significant - the global orchid market is worth hundreds of millions of dollars - the competition to produce the next gorgeous flower is intense.
From BBC ● May 14, 2026
Some may be tiny, like the orchid babies nursing on wood-eating fungi; others may be gargantuan, like the Posidonia australis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
I love every orchid equally,’ and he does,” his daughter said in 2023.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2026
Koja is concerned about the loss of unique indigenous trees like the giant orchid, already a problem before mining has even started.
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2025
"Hmm. I did find a flower out in the desert south of Basra....Like an orchid, but totally adapted to an arid environment. I was amazed that it could survive there."
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
Sometimes an incense is used worth even more than $30.00 per envelope: this contains ranjatai, an aromatic of which the perfume is compared to that of "musk mingled with orchid- flowers."
From In Ghostly Japan by Hearn, Lafcadio
For readers enjoying their potted orchids at home, Mr. Haskell has a sobering message.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
Roman Ivannikov has spent around 30 years pampering orchids, azaleas and figs at Ukraine's National Botanical Garden, but power cuts triggered by Russian strikes are threatening to freeze his cherished collection of tropical plants.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
“Paul lectured all over the world, teaching people about different species of orchids in a very accessible way,” Rose said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2026
We counted more than 100 bee orchids — which to a bee lover like me, was the climax of years of work.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2025
Only now they weren’t chemical explosions; they were studies of plants, mostly orchids and a flower called Vrosera.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
