Home › Words › P › puttyrootputtyrootputtyroot means an American orchid (Aplectrum hyemale) whose slender rootstock produces a solid corm filled with glutinous matter.EtymologyFrom putty + root. First use appears c. 1822 in the writings of the botanist Amos Eaton.nounAn American orchid (Aplectrum hyemale) whose slender rootstock produces a solid corm filled with glutinous matter.Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).