adder's-mouth

American

[ad-erz-mouth] / ˈæd ərzˌmaʊθ /

noun

PLURAL

adder's-mouths

any of several North American, terrestrial orchids of the genus Malaxis, having tiny white or greenish flowers.
rose pogonia.

adder's-mouth British

noun

any of various orchids of the genus Malaxis that occur in all parts of the world except Australia and New Zealand and have small usually greenish flowers See also bog orchid

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of adder's-mouth

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023