orchis

noun

or·​chis ˈȯr-kəs How to pronounce orchis (audio)
: orchid
especially : any of a genus (Orchis) of orchids with fleshy roots and a spurred lip

Examples of orchis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In orchids, myth and folk medicine meet The word of the day: orchis. —National Geographic, 5 Nov. 2019

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin (New Latin as a genus name), borrowed from Greek órchis "testicle, orchid" (the latter sense from the testicle-like shape of the paired tubers of some species), going back to Indo-European *h3erǵh-i-, whence also, with differing suffixation and ablaut, Armenian orjik‛ "testicles," Albanian herdhe, Middle Irish uirge, Avestan ərəzi, Hittite arki- "testicle," ark- "mount, copulate (with)" and, as a suffixed noun derivative, Lithuanian er̃žilas (dialectal ar̃žilas) "stallion"

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of orchis was in 1859

Dictionary Entries Near orchis

orchilla weed

orchis

-orchism

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Orchis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/orchis. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

orchis

noun
or·​chis ˈȯr-kəs How to pronounce orchis (audio)
: orchid sense 1
especially : any of a genus of woodland plants having fleshy roots and a spur on the middle petal

More from Merriam-Webster on orchis

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about orchis

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