ORCHIS

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does orchis mean? 

• ORCHIS (noun)
  The noun ORCHIS has 2 senses:

1. any of various deciduous terrestrial orchids having fleshy tubers and flowers in erect terminal racemes

2. one of the two male reproductive glands that produce spermatozoa and secrete androgens

  Familiarity information: ORCHIS used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ORCHIS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of various deciduous terrestrial orchids having fleshy tubers and flowers in erect terminal racemes

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Hypernyms ("orchis" is a kind of...):

orchid; orchidaceous plant (any of numerous plants of the orchid family usually having flowers of unusual shapes and beautiful colors)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "orchis"):

early purple orchid; male orchis; Orchis mascula (Eurasian orchid with showy pink or purple flowers in a loose spike)

butterfly orchid; butterfly orchis; Orchis papilionaceae (Mediterranean orchid having usually purple flowers with a fan-shaped spotted or striped rose-red lip)

Orchis spectabilis; purple-hooded orchis; purple orchis; showy orchis (North American orchid having a spike of violet-purple flowers mixed with white; sepals and petals form a hood)

Holonyms ("orchis" is a member of...):

genus Orchis (type genus of the orchid family; hardy terrestrial orchids of the temperate the northern hemisphere)

Sense 2

Meaning:

One of the two male reproductive glands that produce spermatozoa and secrete androgens

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

ball; ballock; bollock; egg; nut; orchis; testicle; testis

Context example:

she kicked him in the balls and got away

Hypernyms ("orchis" is a kind of...):

gonad; sex gland (a gland in which gametes (sex cells) are produced)

male reproductive gland (the reproductive organs of a man)

Meronyms (parts of "orchis"):

testicular vein; vena testicularis (a vein from the testicles)

spermatic cord (a structure resembling a cord that suspends the testis within the scrotum and contains the vas deferens and other vessels and nerves)

ductus deferens; vas deferens (a duct that carries spermatozoa from the epididymis to the ejaculatory duct)

rete testis (network of tubules carrying sperm from the seminiferous tubules to the vasa efferentia)

epididymis (a convoluted tubule in each testis; carries sperm to vas deferens)

seminiferous tubule (any of the numerous long convoluted tubules in the testis which are the sites where spermatozoa mature)

arteria testicularis; internal spermatic artery; testicular artery (a branch of the aorta supplying the testicles)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "orchis"):

cobblers (a man's testicles (from Cockney rhyming slang: cobbler's awl rhymes with ball))

undescended testicle; undescended testis (a testis that fails to move into the scrotum as the male fetus develops)

Holonyms ("orchis" is a part of...):

male reproductive system (the reproductive system of males)

family jewels; male genital organ; male genitalia; male genitals (external male sex organs)