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or·chid

(ôrkĭd)

a. A member of the orchid family.

b. A flower of one of these plants, especially a cultivated species.

2. A pale to light purple, from grayish to purplish pink to strong reddish purple.

[From New Latin Orchideae, family name, from New Latin orchis, orchid-, orchid, from Latin orchis, a kind of orchid, from Greek orkhis, testicle, orchid (from the shape of its tubers).]

orchid adj.

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orchid

yellow lady's slipperCypripedium calceolus

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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