411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
Orchideenfach
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
German
de 2025 August 8
Etymology
From de Orchidee<t:orchid> -n-<pos:genitival interfix> Fach<t:subject> orchid subject, referring to the “fancy and flowery” nature of niche subjects, or their rarity.
Pronunciation
de /ˌɔr.çiˈdeːənˌfax/
de De-Orchideenfach.ogg <<Germany>> (<<Berlin>>)
Noun
n,s:es,^er
de university slang niche subject, "blue-skies" subject, a rarefied or overly theoretical field of study
de Birk Grüling Versteinerte Welten: „Wie ein Foto aus der Urzeit“ Die Tageszeitung: taz 2022-11-19 https://taz.de/Versteinerte-Welten/!5892420/ 0931-9085 Die Paläobotanik, also die Erforschung urzeitlicher Pflanzen, mag ein Orchideenfach sein, trotzdem hatte sie schon ihren Hollywoodmoment Paleobotany, that is the study of primeval plants, might be a niche subject, but it already had its Hollywood moment. https://web.archive.org/web/20260216173511/https://taz.de/Versteinerte-Welten/!5892420/ 16 February 2026
Declension
n,s:es,^er
Further reading