orchid
1 Americannoun
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any terrestrial or epiphytic plant of the family Orchidaceae, of temperate and tropical regions, having usually showy flowers.
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the flower of any of these plants.
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a bluish to reddish purple.
noun
Usage
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.
Etymology
Origin of orchid
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
Vocabulary lists containing orchid
Non-Color Words to Use When Describing Color
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Purple
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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.
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
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
Being experts in orchid ecology and evolution, Suetsugu's team took on the challenge to find out who feeds the young orchids.
From Science Daily • Oct. 8, 2025
The DS & Durga site’s page for Pacific Mythic lists SoCal-vibey notes like avocado leaf, palm, orchid, magnolia and more.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2025
The next day, Sam and I are exploring down by Tía Mimí’s orchid shed, where the orchids have grown straggly since Porfirio left.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
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.
