- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
  Log In

cymbidium

noun

cym·bid·i·umsim-ˈbi-dē-əm How to pronounce cymbidium (audio)

:any of a genus (Cymbidium) of tropical Old World epiphytic orchids with showy flowers

Examples ofcymbidium 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.

Feed yourcymbidiumsmonthly until flower spikes appear in early spring.—

Marin Independent Journal,The Mercury News, 9 Oct. 2024In Orange County’s Little Saigon, symbols of the celebration abound in shops and supermarkets: Colorfulcymbidiumorchids, twigs of bountiful blossoms, and li si, colorful red envelopes intended to be stuffed with money.—

Cathy Thomas,Orange County Register, 30 Jan. 2024In addition to rows of ranunculus, there’s a rose garden, acymbidiumorchid greenhouse, and a labyrinth made of sweet peas (like a corn maze, but better smelling).—

Amelia Mularz,Los Angeles Magazine, 10 Apr. 2018The maids where given yellowcymbidiumorchids to carry.—

Sue Strachan,NOLA.com, 9 Feb. 2018The guest card table vignette included tulips andcymbidium orchids.—

John-John Williams Iv,baltimoresun.com, 12 May 2017

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, genus name, borrowed from Greekkýmbē "cup, bowl, boat" (probably of pre-Greek substratal origin) +-idion, diminutive suffix

Note: The genus name was introduced by the Swedish botanist Olof Swartz (1760-1818) in "Dianome Epidendri Generis. Linn.,"Nova Acta Regiae Societatis Scientiarum Upsaliensis, vol. 6 (1799), p. 70.

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning definedabove

Time Traveler

The first known use ofcymbidium was in 1815

See more words from the same year