phalaenopsis

noun

phal·​ae·​nop·​sis ˌfa-lə-ˈnäp-səs How to pronounce phalaenopsis (audio)
plural phalaenopsis also phalaenopses ˌfa-lə-ˈnäp-ˌsēz How to pronounce phalaenopsis (audio)
: any of a genus (Phalaenopsis) of ornamental epiphytic orchids of southeastern Asia and Australia having fleshy leaves and large showy flowers with broad lateral petals

Examples of phalaenopsis 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.
Your phalaenopsis, often called a moth orchid, may take a short rest but can be back in bloom in a few months. — Tom MacCubbin, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Jan. 2023 Many phalaenopsis orchids are gifted in containers without adequate drainage. — Tom MacCubbin, orlandosentinel.com, 1 Jan. 2022 The Orchids Are Must-See In the orchid room, 250 types of phalaenopsis and cattleya orchids are arranged along the walls at all four sides. — Jenny Hughes, The Spruce, 9 Apr. 2026 One of the central, and first, installations that the visitor encounters is, in fact, a magnification of the illustration that appeared on the scroll—a glorious tidal wave of phalaenopsis that looms over the visitor. — Chloe Schama, Vogue, 17 Feb. 2023 Moth orchids, also called phalaenopsis orchids, which are commonly sold by florists and big box stores, can last for a couple of months, says Justin Kondrat, lead horticulturist at the Smithsonian Gardens Orchid Collection in Suitland, Maryland. — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, genus name, from Greek phállaina "geometrid moth" (of uncertain origin) + New Latin -opsis -opsis

Note: The genus was introduced by the German-born Dutch botanist Carl Ludwig Blume (1796-1862) in Bijdragen tot de flora van Nederlandsch Indië, 7de stuk (Batavia, 1825), p. 294. P. Chantraine (Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque) hypothesizes that the phall- of phállaina could have originated from a reduced form of phaliá, feminine of phaliós "white-headed, with a white blaze" (see bald entry 1). He points to a form phállē, glossed as "butterfly/moth" (hē petoménē psychḗ) in the lexicon of the grammarian Hesychius. Regarding the suffix -aina see note at baleen.

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of phalaenopsis was in 1846

Rhymes for phalaenopsis

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Browse Nearby Words

phalaenopsid
phalaenopsis
phalange
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Cite this Entry

“Phalaenopsis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phalaenopsis. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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