: any of a genus (Oncidium) of showy tropical American chiefly epiphytic orchids
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebConsider the oncidium, whose delicate sideways sprays of vivid blooms suggest a model mobile by Alexander Calder. Adrian Higgins, idahostatesman, 21 Feb. 2018 This is a variety named Lemon Drop, a type of oncidium orchid. Adrian Higgins, idahostatesman, 21 Feb. 2018
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from New Latin, genus name, from Greek ónkos "bulk, mass, body" + New Latin -idium -idium — more at onco-
Note: The genus name was introduced by the Swedish botanist Olof Swartz (1760-1818) in "Orchidernes slägter och arter upställde af O. Swartz," Kongl. Vetenskaps Akademien Nya Handlingar, tomus 21 (1800), p. 240. The orchid takes its name from the onkidion (glossed with Latin tūberculum "small protuberance") "in reference to a feature of the labellum" ("Slägtet som har sit namn af Ογκιδιον Tuberculum, i afseende på Labelli beskaffenhet …").