cereus

[ seer-ee-uhs ]

noun,plural ce·re·us·es.

any of various plants of the genus Cereus, of the cactus family, having large, usually white, funnel-shaped flowers.
any of several related, similar plants, especially of the genera Hylocereus, Nyctocereus, and Selenicereus.

Origin of cereus

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

Words Nearby cereus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cereus in a sentence

Some of the most common species in cultivation are the Phyllocactus species, often called the Night-blooming cereus.
The Practical Garden-Book | C. E. Hunn
Pluck them with me; they are sweet, delicate, and lustrous to look upon, even as the night-blowing cereus.
Heart | Martin Farquhar Tupper
Systematically it belongs to the cereus family, in which the notable Night-blooming cereus also is naturally included.
Scientific American Supplement, Vol. XXI., No. 531, March 6, 1886 | Various
Once more the night-blooming cereus oped its dank petals; and amid its murky fragrance I sank to rest.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 85, November, 1864 | Various
But opposite the drawing-room window rose a Candelabra cereus, thirty feet high.
At Last | Charles Kingsley

British Dictionary definitions for cereus

cereus

/ (ˈsɪərɪəs) /

noun

any tropical American cactus of the genus Cereus, esp C. jamacaru of N Brazil, which grows to a height of 13 metres (40 feet)
any of several similar and related cacti, such as the night-blooming cereus

Origin of cereus

C18: from New Latin, from Latin cēreus a wax taper, from cēra wax

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

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