acanthus

American  

[uh-kan-thuhs] / əˈkæn θəs /

noun

plural

acanthuses, acanthi

1. any of several plants of the genus Acanthus, of the Mediterranean region, having spiny or toothed leaves and showy, white or purplish flowers.

2. an architectural ornament, as in the Corinthian capital, resembling the leaves of this plant.

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acanthus British  

/ əˈkænθəs /

noun

1. any shrub or herbaceous plant of the genus Acanthus, native to the Mediterranean region but widely cultivated as ornamental plants, having large spiny leaves and spikes of white or purplish flowers: family Acanthaceae See also bear's-breech

2. a carved ornament based on the leaves of the acanthus plant, esp as used on the capital of a Corinthian column

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Other Word Forms

• acanthine adjective

Etymology

Origin of acanthus

1610–20; < New Latin, Latin < Greek ákanthos bear's-foot

Example Sentences

The door of 10 Downing Street was copied from the original and is enclosed within a composite fibreglass painted architrave "flanked by scrolled acanthus leaf corbels" and surrounded by black-painted iron railings.

From BBC

Though it is mostly wild — a tangle of holm oaks, palms and flowering acanthuses intersected by a few winding trails — at its center is a romantic neo-Classical marble fountain carved in the early 1800s.

From New York Times

Clues here include four Ionic columns supporting the portico, multipaned windows and lintels decorated with acanthus leaves, rather than the keystone lintels of the Federal period.

From Washington Post

Wiley’s lithe dandy stands amid a lavish network of royal blue acanthus leaves, classical symbol of immortality, and vivid orange poppies, modern British token of remembrance.

From Los Angeles Times

The base of the sculpture is decorated with a four-petalled flower and interwoven acanthus leaves.

From The Guardian