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hothouse

[ hot-hous ]
/ ˈhɒtˌhaʊs /
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noun, plural hot·hous·es [hot-hou-ziz] /ˈhɒtˌhaʊ zɪz/.

an artificially heated greenhouse for the cultivation of tender plants.

adjective

of, relating to, or noting a plant grown in a hothouse, or so fragile as to be capable of being grown only in a hothouse.
overprotected, artificial, or unnaturally delicate.

RELATED WORDS

bed, field, nursery, terrace, patio, greenhouse, plot, conservatory, patch, oasis, enclosure

Nearby words

  1. hotfoot,
  2. hotfoot it,
  3. hothead,
  4. hotheaded,
  5. hotheadedly,
  6. hothouse lamb,
  7. hotien,
  8. hotkey,
  9. hotline,
  10. hotliner

Origin of hothouse

First recorded in 1505–15; hot + house
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hothouse

British Dictionary definitions for hothouse

hothouse

/ (ˈhɒtˌhaʊs) /

noun

  1. a greenhouse in which the temperature is maintained at a fixed level above that of the surroundings
  2. (as modifier)a hothouse plant
  1. an environment that encourages rapid development
  2. (as modifier)a hot-house atmosphere
an environment where there is great pressureshowjumping is a tough, hothouse world
(modifier) informal, often censorious sensitive or delicatea hothouse temperament
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

Word Origin and History for hothouse

hothouse

n.

mid-15c., "bath house," from hot + house (n.). In 17c. a euphemism for "brothel" (cf. massage parlor); the meaning "glass-roofed structure for raising plants" is from 1749. Figurative use by 1802.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper