orchid

¹

[awr-kid]

noun

1. any terrestrial or epiphytic plant of the family Orchidaceae, of temperate and tropical regions, having usually showy flowers.

2. the flower of any of these plants.

3. a bluish to reddish purple.

orchid-

²

1. variant of orchido- before a vowel.

   orchidology.

orchid

/ ˈɔːkɪd /

noun

1. any terrestrial or epiphytic plant of the family Orchidaceae, often having flowers of unusual shapes and beautiful colours, specialized for pollination by certain insects See bee orchid burnt-tip orchid fly orchid frog orchid lady orchid lizard orchid man orchid monkey orchid purple-fringed orchid pyramidal orchid scented orchid spider orchid spotted orchid

Word History and Origins

Origin of orchid¹

1835–45; < New Latin Orchideae (later Orchidaceae ) family name, equivalent to Latin orch ( is ) a plant ( orchis ) + -ideae, irregular suffix ( -idae ); -id ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of orchid¹

C19: from New Latin Orchideae; see _orchis

Example Sentences

“It smells pretty bad,” said Brandon Tam, the Huntington’s associate curator of orchids.

From Los Angeles Times

The board-certified internist asserted her authority by wielding data, what she called “brute force” and the soft persuasion of an occasional gift of an orchid, picked from her garden in suburban Maryland.

From Salon

Its velvety, heart-shaped leaves shield a single burnt-mauve flower at the base, looking more like an orchid from the Florida swamps than something you’d expect to see near the river between Iowa and Illinois.

From Salon

She doted on her cats and her exotic orchids, and was known to neighbors for her delicious homemade bread.

From Los Angeles Times

He acknowledged there had been a "falling out" between himself and Lancaster, but said it was over "whether an orchid should stay on a bowl of soup or not".

From BBC

Related Words

• admiration 
• adulation 
• applause 
• blessing 
• commendation 
• courtesy 
• endorsement 
• homage 
• ovation 
• tribute 

When To Use

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.