Meanings
plural helmet orchids
- Any of various orchids with helmet-shaped flowers, of genera Coryanthes, Corybas, Cranichis, Nematoceras, and Pterostylis.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounany of numerous orchids of the genus Pterostylis having leaves in a basal rosette and green flowers often striped purple or brown or red with the dorsal sepal incurved to form a hood
nounany of several orchids of the genus Coryanthes having racemes of a few musky-scented waxy flowers with a helmet-shaped lip process
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient GreekΚορῠ́βᾱς
- translingualCorybas
- Englishhelmet orchid
Calque of translingual Corybas, though an incorrect calque, as the taxonomic name is from Ancient Greek Κορῠ́βᾱς (Korŭ́bās), not κόρῠς (kórŭs, “helmet”).
More words from translingual, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
helmet orchid. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/helmet%20orchid
“helmet orchid.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/helmet%20orchid. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “helmet orchid,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/helmet%20orchid.
Source: helmet orchid on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.