orchid [M19th] Before people spoke of an orchid they used the term orchis [M16th], still occasionally used as an alternative form. Both were borrowed from Latin orchis ‘orchid’, the final ‘d’ coming from a misunderstanding of the Latin form. The Romans got the term from Greek orkhis, which could be used of the plant but had a primary sense ‘testicle’. This is because some species of orchid have tubers, often in pairs, which look surprisingly anatomical.