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Glite Dictionary
Orchis mascula

Orchis mascula

9.9
A wild orchid with bright pink or purple flowers that grows in meadows and woods
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Orchis mascula
  • The Orchis mascula blooms in spring, adding vibrant color to woodland areas.

Examples

  • We spotted several Orchis mascula growing in the shaded corner of the field.

  • Botanists collected samples of Orchis mascula for their research on wild orchids.

  • The Orchis mascula blooms beautifully in spring.

  • Have you seen the Orchis mascula in the meadow?

  • The Orchis mascula blooms in spring, adding vibrant color to woodland areas.

  • We spotted several Orchis mascula growing in the shaded corner of the field.

  • Botanists collected samples of Orchis mascula for their research on wild orchids.

Synonyms

early purple orchid
vsOrchis mascula
  • UK
9.6

A wild orchid with pink or purple flowers in a loose cluster that blooms in spring

has identical meaning but appears under the scientific name instead
male orchis
vsOrchis mascula
9.9

A wild plant with bright pink or purple flowers along a tall thin stem

names the specific species commonly found in meadows and woodlands

Surface Forms

Orchis mascula singular
Orchis masculas plural

Morphology

Orchis + mascula

This is a Latin binomial (taxonomic species name) functioning as a label rather than a compositional English phrase. Knowing 'Orchis' as an orchid does not allow a B1 learner to infer the specific species description, and 'mascula' is not a standard English word (and its meaning is not provided), so the overall meaning cannot be derived from the constituents.

Etymology

Orchis mascula comes from old Greek and Latin words: orchis meant 'testicle' because the plant's underground bulbs look like small testicles, and mascula means 'male'. So the name is a simple picture of a 'male testicle' and refers to the round root bulbs, which is why we use it for the showy pink or purple orchid today.