Indian fig

American  

noun

1. a bushy or treelike cactus, Opuntia ficus-indica, of central Mexico, having large yellow flowers and juicy, red, edible fruit.

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Etymology

Origin of Indian fig

First recorded in 1585–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Indian fig

And, always, winter’s fog and mist, one of Nepal’s seasonally distinct languages, shrouding the shrines in Pashupatinath, one of the world’s holiest Shiva temples, or cloaking a farmer by the valley’s sacred Indian fig trees.

From New York Times ● Mar. 5, 2015

Here, too, were to be found the prickly pear or Indian fig, a plant which loves a more southern climate.

From Astoria, or, anecdotes of an enterprise beyond the Rocky Mountains by Irving, Washington

We find rows of lemon-trees on the Corso; and the cactus, or Indian fig, flourishes in the environs,—the bright oleander thriving in the open air.

From Rambles in the Islands of Corsica and Sardinia with Notices of their History, Antiquities, and Present Condition. by Forester, Thomas

Opuntia, the Indian fig, is another flowering sort, though not so valuable.

From Gardening Indoors and Under Glass A Practical Guide to the Planting, Care and Propagation of House Plants, and to the Construction and Management of Hotbed, Coldframe and Small Greenhouse by Rockwell, F. F. (Frederick Frye)

One of these drinks is made from dates; the other from the Indian fig.

From The World and Its People: Book VII Views in Africa by Badlam, Anna B.