aculeus
Americannoun
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a prickle or spine, such as the thorn of a rose
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a sting or ovipositor
Etymology
Origin of aculeus
1820–30; < Latin: sting, barb, equivalent to acu ( s ) needle + -leus noun suffix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“You’ve got the royal family, the prince regents, Maer Alveron, Duchess Samista, Aculeus and Meluan Lackless...”
From Literature
Page 45 'with a long & strong aculeus in the tayle conceuud of' 'conceuud' is an odd spelling.
From Project Gutenberg
The last of these has obtained considerable popularity from the well-known lines— “The qualities rare in a bee that we meet In an epigram never should fail; The body should always be little and sweet, And a sting should be left in its tail”— which represent the older Latin of some unknown writer— “Omne epigramma sit instar apis: sit aculeus illi; Sint sua mella; sit et corporis exigui.”
From Project Gutenberg
Take also the case of the well-known Latin epigram: Omne epigramma sit instar apis: sit aculeus illi; Sint sua mella; sit et corporis exigui.
From Project Gutenberg
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
