cactus

[ kak-tuhs ]

noun,plural cac·ti [kak-tahy], /ˈkæk taɪ/, cac·tus·es, cac·tus.
  1. any of numerous succulent plants of the family Cactaceae, of warm, arid regions of the New World, having fleshy, leafless, usually spiny stems, and typically having solitary, showy flowers.

Origin of cactus

1
1600–10; <Latin <Greek káktos cardoon

Other words from cactus

  • cac·tus·like, cactoid, adjective

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How to use cactus in a sentence

  • In the interior a few beeches and cacti are met with, and then broad swamps, fringed with reeds and rushes.

    The Desert World | Arthur Mangin
  • What a revelation it must be to one used to the barren alkali deserts of Wyoming, where, nothing grew but sage-bush and cacti!

    The Honorable Percival | Alice Hegan Rice
  • The rolling terrain of the Mexican Plateau supports cacti, small leguminous trees, and grasses.

  • Specimens were found in the daytime in stumps, dead cacti, and the hollow branches of the legume, Apoplanesia paniculata.

  • When in flower, which will be through some of the winter months, this requires a richer soil than the other Cacti.

British Dictionary definitions for cactus

cactus

/ (ˈkæktəs) /


nounplural -tuses or -ti (-taɪ)
  1. any spiny succulent plant of the family Cactaceae of the arid regions of America. Cactuses have swollen tough stems, leaves reduced to spines or scales, and often large brightly coloured flowers

  2. cactus dahlia a double-flowered variety of dahlia

Origin of cactus

1
C17: from Latin: prickly plant, from Greek kaktos cardoon

Derived forms of cactus

  • cactaceous (kækˈteɪʃəs), adjective

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