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orchid
The definition of an orchid is a blooming plant with waxy leaves, or the flower of the plant used as a floral decoration.
(noun)- An example of an orchid is the yellow bloom known as a Dancing Lady orchid.
- An example of an orchid is the pink plant used as a corsage for a prom date.
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See orchid in Webster's New World College Dictionary
noun
- 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
- the flower of such a plant; esp., any of the brightly colored tropical varieties cultivated for wear as a corsage
- a light bluish red, or pale purple
Origin: < ModL Orchideae: so named (1751) by Carolus Linnaeus < *orchid-, mistaken as stem of L orchis: see orchis
adjective
- of this color
- designating a worldwide family (Orchidaceae, order Orchidales) of monocotyledonous plants
See orchid in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
- a. A member of the orchid family.b. The flower of any of these plants, especially one cultivated for ornament.
- A pale to light purple, from grayish to purplish pink to strong reddish purple.
Origin:
Origin: From New Latin Orchideae, family name
Origin: , from Latin orchis, a kind of orchid
Origin: , from Greek orkhis, testicle, orchid (from the shape of its tubers)
.Related Forms:
- orˈchid adjective
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