orchidaceous

American

[awr-ki-dey-shuhs] / ˌɔr kɪˈdeɪ ʃəs /

adjective

belonging to the plant family Orchidaceae.

orchidaceous British

/ 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

Etymology

Origin of orchidaceous

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

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.

The syntax is snappy but the vocabulary is orchidaceous.

From The Guardian • Sep. 24, 2017

I am, in orchidaceous Hawaii, among squawking geese, the sun glittering on the sea, the prospect of snuggling my sweet wife Sheila.

From The Guardian • May 25, 2013

Simon Russell Beale in Privates on Parade: ‘His turns are tuneful, fetching, orchidaceous.’

From The Guardian • Dec. 16, 2012

In Art Nouveau's orchidaceous world of tendrilar lines, sweeping forms and bright stained glass, old Japanese woodcuts, the drawings of William Blake and a new fascination with botany all had their influence.

From Time Magazine Archive

The simple old type of manhood is lost long since in endless orchidaceous variation.

From Prose Fancies by Le Gallienne, Richard

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023