acanthus

[ uh-kan-thuhs ]

/ əˈkæn θəs /

Save This Word!

noun, plural a·can·thus·es, a·can·thi

[uh-kan-thahy]. /əˈkæn θaɪ/.

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

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

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of acanthus

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

OTHER WORDS FROM acanthus

a·can·thine

[uh-kan-thin, -thahyn], /əˈkæn θɪn, -θaɪn/, adjective

Words nearby acanthus

acanthodian, acanthoid, acanthology, acanthopterygian, acanthous, acanthus, acanthus family, acapnia, a cappella, a capriccio, Acapulco

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use acanthus in a sentence

This basket happened to be placed just above the root of an acanthus.
Ten Books on Architecture|Vitruvius
The legs are boldly carved with the acanthus leaf, and everything about the piano is as elegant as possible.
The Old Furniture Book|N. Hudson Moore
It has a greater resemblance to the acanthus plant than it has to any solar disk imaginable.
The Swastika|Thomas Wilson
The tamarisk appears afterwards to have given the idea of a subdivision of leaf more pure and quaint than that of the acanthus.
The Stones of Venice, Volume I (of 3)|John Ruskin

The capitals are formed by the semi-Gothic classical acanthus leaves of the period.
Cathedral Cities of Italy|William Wiehe Collins

British Dictionary definitions for acanthus

acanthus

/ (əˈkænθəs) /

noun plural -thuses or -thi (-θaɪ)

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 AcanthaceaeSee also bear's-breech

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

Word Origin for acanthus

C17: New Latin, from Greek akanthos, from akantha thorn, spine

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012