orchidaceous

[ awr-ki-dey-shuh s ]

/ ˌɔr kɪˈdeɪ ʃəs /

adjective

belonging to the plant family Orchidaceae.

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Discover The Influence Of Portuguese On English Via This Quiz!

We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?

Question 1 of 11

Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?

owl

crow

piranha

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Words nearby orchidaceous

orchialgia, orchid, orchid family, orchid tree, orchid-, orchidaceous, orchidectomy, orchidic, orchiditis, orchido-, orchidology

Compare orchid family.

Origin of orchidaceous

1830–40; < New Latin Orchidace(ae) (see orchid, -aceae) + -ous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for orchidaceous

The dark, damp wilderness is favorable to some of these orchidaceous plants, though they are too delicate for cultivation.
The Maine Woods|Henry David Thoreau
Many of our orchidaceous plants absolutely require the visits of moths to remove their pollen-masses and thus to fertilise them.
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection|Charles Darwin
Here and there the bright flowers of some orchidaceous plant ornamented their summits, or hung down from their boughs.
In the Eastern Seas|W.H.G. Kingston
Monsieur St. Leger, nettled, sent some dried flowers for a testimony; but the mind of the Orchidaceous public was made up.
About Orchids|Frederick Boyle

The tree trunks and branches were rich in symbiotic life, with ferns, lianas, and orchidaceous plants of many species.
Journeys and Experiences in Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile|Henry Stephens

British Dictionary definitions for orchidaceous

orchidaceous

/ (ˌɔːkɪˈdeɪʃəs) /

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the Orchidaceae, a family of flowering plants including the orchids

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