twayblade

[twey-bleyd]

noun

any of various orchids, especially of the genera Listera and Liparis, characterized by two nearly opposite broad leaves.

Origin of twayblade

1570–80; dial. tway (apocopated form of Old English twēgen twain) + blade

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for twayblade

twayblade

noun

any terrestrial orchid of the genus Listera, having a basal pair of oval unstalked leaves arranged opposite each other
any of various other orchids with paired basal leaves

Word Origin for twayblade

C16: translation of Medieval Latin bifolium having two leaves, from obsolete tway two + blade

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