Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A member of the orchid family.
- n. The flower of any of these plants, especially one cultivated for ornament.
- n. A pale to light purple, from grayish to purplish pink to strong reddish purple.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Any plant of the natural order Orchideæ; an orchidaceous plant.
Wiktionary
- n. a plant of the orchid family, bearing unusually-shaped flowers of beautiful colours.
- n. colour a light bluish-red, violet-red or purple colour.
- adj. colour having a light purple colour.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Bot.) Any plant of the order Orchidaceæ. See orchidaceous.
WordNet 3.0
- n. any of numerous plants of the orchid family usually having flowers of unusual shapes and beautiful colors
Etymologies
- From Latin orchis, from Ancient Greek ὄρχις (orkhis, "orchid, testicle") (Wiktionary)
- From New Latin Orchideae, family name, from Latin orchis, a kind of orchid, from Greek orkhis, testicle, orchid (from the shape of its tubers). (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“(The word "orchid" comes from the Greek word "orkhis," or testicle, which the plant's roots resemble.)”
“I heard that the astronauts can see this particular orchid from the space shuttle, they are * that* bright ...”
Orchids: the bawdiest flowers in the plant world « Sugar Creek Gardens’ Blog
“The Tower of Babylon rose through the veil of transplanted jungle foliage and piped-in orchid scent to scrape a desert sky burned almost colorless by the Nevada sun.”
“A ride over the hills brought us to a wood of oaks, with their branches fringed with the long grey Spanish moss, and a profusion of epiphytes clinging to their bark, some splendidly in flower, showing the fantastic shapes and brilliant colours one sees in English orchid-houses.”
“In the wood-ways a little mauve-coloured orchid is to be found.”
“Tuesday, 19 February 2008 first signs of spring - centre piece of the month february pick whatever flowers you get at the supermarket to make this little basket filled with flowers. ranunculus are my favourites and available all over the place at the moment, so i chose to put them into this flowery centrepiece. the orchid is quite fancy but you just really need one to pimp this up (and it keeps for ever!). a rose or two, some ivy and green leaves from the forest and you are all set. to get started line a basket with some foil and trim on the edges. soak some floral foam in water and place in the basket, when soaked wet (can be really, really wet - it will have to work as a vase to the flowers), eventually cut and trim the floral on the edges, so that it resembles an arch. trim flowers and green leaves and stick into pot. start doing so on the bottom of foam, working upwards until you have an even flowery centrepiece. make sure foam stays moist - adding some water from time to time.”
“In 1862, Charles Darwin correctly predicted that the Christmas star orchid, which is endemic to Madagascar, was pollinated by a moth with a 30cm-long proboscis.”
“There's no way I can get closer, not wearing summer sandals anyway, for between me and the orchid is an overgrown ditch.”
“The orchid is a beautiful flower but can be costly.”
“I identified it as a Cooktown orchid, which is Queensland's floral emblem.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘orchid’.
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G[r]eek
A collection of words found in English that are either purely Greek or have Greek etymology.
Please add with caution and certainty. Will be regularly updated by me.etymology, philosophy, laconic, disharmony, patriarchic, archaic, phlogiston, aether, aeon, angel, arachnid, rhythm and 346 more...
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Uncommon Colours
azure, myrtle, periwinkle, viridian, jade, emerald, lime, chartreuse, asparagus, celadon, harlequin, olive and 147 more...
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Crayon Colors
This is a continuing list of Crayon Colors past and present. As I find new ones added to the "box", I will add them here as well!
black, blue, brown, apricot, bittersweet, blue green, blue violet, brick red, burnt sienna, carnation pink, cornflower, flesh and 134 more...
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Flora
Flowers and plants have some of the most beautiful names.
These are often the common names, as opposed to the scientific or botanical names.daffodil, gardenia, tulip, snapdragon, violet, orchid, bleeding heart, daisy, lily, lilac, narcissus, rose and 278 more...
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Goatboy's list
Goatboy's Word Emporium
juggernaut, abhor, discombobulate, fankle, oose, orchid, schadenfreude, doppleganger, garibaldi, coquette, arabesque, meme and 19 more...
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Shades of Black
Objects that are black, shades of lack, or something with blackness within.
lampblack, pitch, crow, obsidian, coal, charcoal, soot, midnight, raven, peacock, starless, bible and 22 more...
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delicate girl names
anne, cecily, dahlia, petal, orchid, lilac, lise, belle, melody, grace, rose, lily and 10 more...
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Colors
cerise, carnelian, florid, claret, watchet, rosaceous, coquelicot, vermilion, celadon, nacreous, lapis, viridescent and 132 more...
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Color Words for Shoes
Vendors can get oddly creative.
amaranth, brindle, iguana, slate black, madder brown, bison, pinecone, seal brown, forest night, burnt orange, monument, beet red and 399 more...
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dandy's list
favourite words
cattywampus, wibble, fenagle, whisker, sneeze, wisteria, honeysuckle, clove, perihelion, glimmer, twilight, dusk and 264 more...
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color me mauve
color words
albescent, ecru, eggshell, mauve, taupe, ochre, ashen, goldenrod, gamboge, cream, saffron, mustard and 109 more...
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Crayola Crayon Colors Circa 1998
almond, antique brass, apricot, aquamarine, asparagus, atomic tangerine, banana mania, beaver, bittersweet, black, blizzard blue, blue and 108 more...
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Some Words I Love to Use
arcology, strumpet, crux, confected, pedant, bluestocking, cogitation, incensed, lovecraftian, cygnet, dactyl, adytum and 539 more...
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Stately Plants
The flowers and trees of states and nations.
camellia, forget-me-not, saguaro cactus, apple blossom, Calafornia poppy, Rocky Mountain, mountain laurel, peach blossom, American beauty rose, orange blossom, Cherokee rose, pua aloalo and 210 more...
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essigurken's Words
transubstantiation, pungent, omnipotent, craven, 'tis, saucy, entwine, inextricably, consummation, conglomeration, sepulchre, addendum and 264 more...
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Nullologue
nullologue, vaudeville, debauchery, debauched, libertine, nothing, dhadak, tz pf, nothingology, goodbyeology, sharmuta, manifesto and 866 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for orchid.
Prolagus This is why someone is so proud of being the orchid man.
Lord, I was born an orchid man,
Tryin' to make a livin' and doin' the best I can. Sep 15, 2008
goatboy Named after the Greek word orchis meaning testicle. Jan 23, 2008