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orchid

Syllabification: (or·chid)
Pronunciation: /ˈôrkid/

Translate orchid | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of orchid

noun

  • a plant with complex flowers that are typically showy or bizarrely shaped, having a large specialized lip (labellum) and frequently a spur. Orchids occur worldwide, especially as epiphytes in tropical forests, and are valuable hothouse plants.
    • Family Orchidaceae: numerous genera and species
  • the flowering stem of a cultivated orchid.

Derivatives

orchidist

Pronunciation: /-ist/

noun

Origin:

mid 19th century: from modern Latin Orchid(ac)eae, formed irregularly from Latin orchis (see orchis)

orchid in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of orchid in the British & World English dictionary

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