orchidaceous plant
- noun
- /ˌɔrkɪˈdeɪʃəs plænt/
- Specialized
- The greenhouse had a stunning collection of orchidaceous plants from around the world.
Examples
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She specializes in the care and cultivation of rare orchidaceous plants.
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The orchidaceous plant bloomed beautifully this spring.
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Many orchidaceous plants require specific conditions to thrive and produce their colorful flowers.
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Look at that orchidaceous plant!
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The greenhouse had a stunning collection of orchidaceous plants from around the world.
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She specializes in the care and cultivation of rare orchidaceous plants.
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Many orchidaceous plants require specific conditions to thrive and produce their colorful flowers.
Synonyms
A plant with unusual colorful flowers that often last a long time
Surface Forms
Morphology
orchidaceous + plant
The noun phrase is a regular adjective+noun composition: 'orchidaceous' (of or like an orchid / belonging to Orchidaceae) modifies 'plant', so the meaning 'a plant of the orchid family' is directly derivable from the parts. Although 'orchidaceous' is low-frequency, the morphological and syntactic pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent meanings would understand it.
Etymology
Orchidaceous plant comes from the old Greek word orchis, a name for plants whose roots looked like small round bulbs. That's why orchidaceous plant means a plant from the 'orchid family', known for unusual, beautiful flowers.