cereus

American  

[seer-ee-uhs] / ˈsɪər i əs /

noun

plural

cereuses

1. any of various plants of the genus Cereus, of the cactus family, having large, usually white, funnel-shaped flowers.

2. any of several related, similar plants, especially of the genera Hylocereus, Nyctocereus, and Selenicereus.

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cereus British  

/ ˈsɪərɪəs /

noun

1. any tropical American cactus of the genus Cereus, esp C. jamacaru of N Brazil, which grows to a height of 13 metres (40 feet)

2. any of several similar and related cacti, such as the night-blooming cereus

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Etymology

Origin of cereus

1720–30; < New Latin, Latin cēreus wax candle, noun use of cēreus cereous

Example Sentences

Cereulide is a toxin produced by some strains of the Bacillus cereus bacteria that can cause food poisoning symptoms, which can be quick to develop and include vomiting, and stomach cramps.

From BBC

Lyell occasionally visited during the early years of their friendship and joined Welty and other friends in Welty’s backyard for meetings of the Night-Blooming Cereus Club, named after the garden flower that opens in the moonlight.

From The Wall Street Journal

The bacteria Bacillus cereus was found to be the contaminant in the cause of all three deaths.

From BBC

Dr Morris also highlighted that Bacillus cereus is resistant to some cleaning methods and that sporicides - disinfectants that kill microbial spores - can be required to achieve decontamination.

From BBC

“It’s a perfectly fine cocktail,” says Bradley Stephens, co-owner of cocktail and South American tapas bar Cereus PDX in Portland, Oregon, and vice president of the Board of Directors of the US Bartenders' Guild.

From Salon