cymbidium

noun

cym·​bid·​i·​um sim-ˈbi-dē-əm How to pronounce cymbidium (audio)
: any of a genus (Cymbidium) of tropical Old World epiphytic orchids with showy flowers

Examples of cymbidium 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 your cymbidiums monthly until flower spikes appear in early spring. Marin Independent Journal, The Mercury News, 9 Oct. 2024 In addition to rows of ranunculus, there’s a rose garden, a cymbidium orchid greenhouse, and a labyrinth made of sweet peas (like a corn maze, but better smelling). Amelia Mularz, Los Angeles Magazine, 10 Apr. 2018 The guest card table vignette included tulips and cymbidium orchids. John-John Williams Iv, baltimoresun.com, 12 May 2017

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, genus name, borrowed from Greek kýmbē "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 defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cymbidium was in 1815

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Cite this Entry

“Cymbidium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cymbidium. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.

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