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Dec 30, 2010
This week's theme
Words derived from the names of body parts

This week's words
supercilious
impugn
sinister
orchidaceous
charivari

Orchid tubers
Orchid tubers
Photo: Laura Morelli

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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

orchidaceous

PRONUNCIATION:
(or-ki-DAY-shuhs)

MEANING:
adjective:
1. Of or relating to orchids.
2. Showy.

ETYMOLOGY:
From New Latin Orchidaceae (orchid family name), from Latin orchis (orchid), from Greek orkhis (testicle, orchid, from the shape of its tubers). Earliest documented use: 1838.

USAGE:
"Arlene Dahl was and remains a real doll. The orchidaceous leading lady was one of the most beautiful women to ever grace MGM musicals."
Jim Bawden; Dear Jim; The Toronto Star (Canada); Jun 6, 1998.

See more usage examples of orchidaceous in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it. -Henry David Thoreau, naturalist and author (1817-1862)

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