orchid

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.

One example of a medical term that uses the combining form orchid- is orchiditis, also known as orchitis, meaning “inflammation of the testis.”

The first part of the word, orchid-, means “testicle.” The second part, -itis, is a suffix used to denote inflammation of an organ. Orchiditis literally translates to “inflammation of the testicles.”

What are some words that use or are related to the combining form orchid-?

• orchidic
• orchidaceous (using the equivalent form of orchid- in New Latin)
• orchidectomy
• orchidacity
• orchidist
• orchidize

What are some other forms that orchid- may be commonly confused with?

• organo-
• oophoro-
• ornitho-
• ortho-

The word orchestra, despite beginning with the letters orch-, is not related to the combining form orchido-. Learn more about the Greek origins of this musical term at our entry for the word.

The combining form -ectomy is used in medical terms to mean “excision, removal.” What does the surgical procedure of an orchidectomy involve?