n.1. A heated greenhouse for plants that require an even, relatively warm temperature.
2. An environment conducive to vigorous growth or development; a hotbed: "With its mix of African, Latin, European, and pan-American influences, the Caribbean is truly a musical hothouse" (New Yorker).
adj.1. Grown in a hothouse: a hothouse orchid.
2. Delicate and sensitive, as if from being grown in a hothouse.