aculeus

American

[uh-kyoo-lee-uhs] / əˈkju li əs /

noun

Also the modified ovipositor or sting of certain hymenopterous insects.
prickle.

aculeus British

/ əˈkjuːlɪəs /

noun

a prickle or spine, such as the thorn of a rose
a sting or ovipositor

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

aculei

plural

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.

See Examples For:

aculeus aculei

Page 45 'with a long & strong aculeus in the tayle conceuud of' 'conceuud' is an odd spelling.

From Notes and Letters on the Natural History of Norfolk More Especially on the Birds and Fishes by Sir Thomas Browne

Aculeate, armed with prickles, i. e. aculei; as the Rose and Brier.

From The Elements of Botany For Beginners and For Schools by Asa Gray

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023