Definition

Noun: 1. A heated greenhouse for plants: A building, typically made of glass, that is kept warm for growing plants that need a controlled, protected environment. 2. An environment that encourages rapid growth or development: A place or situation that is very conducive to fostering particular qualities, often in an intense or artificial way.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The botanical garden has a large hothouse filled with tropical orchids.
  • The university's elite science program was a hothouse for brilliant young researchers.

Advanced Usage

• "to hothouse" (verb, rare/transitive): To educate or train (a child) intensively, especially to stimulate early mental development, often with a connotation of being forced or unnatural.
  • Some parents try to hothouse their toddlers with advanced educational programs.

Variants and Related Words

• Greenhouse (n): A more general term for a glass building used to grow plants; a hothouse is a specific type of heated greenhouse.
• Conservatory (n): A room or building with glass walls and a glass roof, often attached to a house, used for growing plants or as a sunroom.

Synonyms

• Greenhouse
• Conservatory
• Forcing house (specifically for forcing plants to grow out of season)
• Incubator (figurative sense for the environment fostering development)

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "A hothouse atmosphere": An environment that is intense, protected, and often stressful, encouraging rapid but sometimes fragile development.
  • The Olympic training camp had a hothouse atmosphere of extreme pressure and competition.
• "Hothouse flower":
  • Literally: A flower grown in a hothouse.
  • Figuratively: A person who is delicate, sheltered, or unable to cope with harsh conditions.

Noun

1. a greenhouse in which plants are arranged in a pleasing manner