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Synonyms

orchid

1 American  
[awr-kid] / ˈɔr kɪd /

noun

  1. any terrestrial or epiphytic plant of the family Orchidaceae, of temperate and tropical regions, having usually showy flowers.

  2. the flower of any of these plants.

  3. a bluish to reddish purple.

orchid- 2 American  

  1. variant of orchido- before a vowel.

    orchidology.
orchid British  
/ ˈɔːkɪd /

noun

  1. any terrestrial or epiphytic plant of the family Orchidaceae, often having flowers of unusual shapes and beautiful colours, specialized for pollination by certain insects See bee orchid burnt-tip orchid fly orchid frog orchid lady orchid lizard orchid man orchid monkey orchid purple-fringed orchid pyramidal orchid scented orchid spider orchid spotted orchid

"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

Usage

What does orchid- mean? Orchid- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning either “testicle” (testis) or "orchid." In medicine, it refers to testicles. In botany, it refers to orchid flowers.Orchid- comes from the Greek órchis, meaning “testicle.” How did the Greek word for testicle give rise to the name of a type of beautiful flower? Well, the roots of orchids were thought to resemble testicles. Learn more at our entry for orchis.Orchid- is a variant of orchido-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.Want to know more? Read our Words That Use orchido- article.The combining forms orchi-, as in orchiectomy, and orchio-, as in orchioplasty, are other variants of this combining form used to refer to testicles in medical terms.

Etymology

Origin of orchid

1835–45; < New Latin Orchideae (later Orchidaceae ) family name, equivalent to Latin orch ( is ) a plant ( orchis ) + -ideae, irregular suffix ( -idae ); -id 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I love every orchid equally,’ and he does,” his daughter said in 2023.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2026

Koja is concerned about the loss of unique indigenous trees like the giant orchid, already a problem before mining has even started.

From Barron's • Oct. 26, 2025

He says: "We repeatedly found seedlings and adults with juvenile root structures near decaying logs, not scattered randomly in the forest. That recurring pattern inspired us to test whether deadwood fungi fuel orchid beginnings."

From Science Daily • Oct. 8, 2025

Its velvety, heart-shaped leaves shield a single burnt-mauve flower at the base, looking more like an orchid from the Florida swamps than something you’d expect to see near the river between Iowa and Illinois.

From Salon • May 27, 2025

Every day I wasn’t staying over, I visited her first thing in the morning and always with an orchid from my garden for the girls.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.