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cym·bid·i·um

(sĭm-bĭdē-əm)

Any of various epiphytic orchids of the genus Cymbidium, native to Asia and Australia and extensively hybridized and cultivated for their elongate clusters of showy flowers.

[New Latin Cymbidium, genus name : from Greek kumbē, hollow vessel, drinking cup, boat (probably akin to Sanskrit kumbhaḥ and Avestan xumba-, pot) + New Latin -idium, diminutive suffix (from Greek -idion) (the genus being named by Swedish botanist Olof Peter Swartz (1760-1818) in reference to the somewhat boatlike shape of the labellum of the type species, C. aloifolium).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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