Advertisement

Advertisement

cactus

[ kak-tuhs ]

noun

plural cacti [kak, -tahy], cactuses, cactus.
  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.


cactus

/ kækˈteɪʃəs; ˈkæktəs /

noun

  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
“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
Discover More

Derived Forms

  • cactaceous, adjective
Discover More

Other Words From

  • cactus·like cactoid adjective
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of cactus1

1600–10; < Latin < Greek káktos cardoon
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of cactus1

C17: from Latin: prickly plant, from Greek kaktos cardoon
Discover More

Example Sentences

Rather than a watery grave, however, a mysterious moonlit desert is where she’s adrift, a row of spiky cactuses behind her appearing to pierce her body.

The hillside around Robert Dickran’s home in Camarillo Heights was dotted with burnt cacti and charred brush, showing just how close the fire came to his home.

Saguaro cacti in the Sonoran desert, of course.

All that’s left is a clump of white painted metal clinging to the mountainside among the cacti and sandy brown soil.

After a few hours of falling down into desert washes and getting spiked by cactuses, the group realized they were in trouble.

From Salon

Advertisement

Discover More

What Is The Plural Of Cactus?

Plural word for cactus

The plural form of cactus can be either cacti, cactuses, or cactus. Cacti is most commonly used. Like many words derived from Latin, it is pluralized by replacing the -us ending with -i, as in fungus/fungi and nucleus/nuclei

However, the plural form cactuses, created by adding the typical -es to the end, is also correct. This alternative plural form is also acceptable for some other Latin-derived or related terms, as in focus/foci/focuses and radius/radii/radiuses.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


cactaceouscactus dahlia