noun

1. a perennial plant of the orchid family, that grows in the ground or as an epiphyte and is characterized by waxy pollen masses, minute seeds, and bilaterally symmetrical flowers with three petals, one of which is lip-shaped with many distinctive forms
2. the flower of such a plant; esp., any of the brightly colored tropical varieties cultivated for wear as a corsage
3. a light bluish red, or pale purple

Etymology: < ModL Orchideae: so named (1751) by Carolus Linnaeus < *orchid-, mistaken as stem of L orchis: see orchis

adjective

1. of this color
2. designating a worldwide family (Orchidaceae, order Orchidales) of monocotyledonous plants