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

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 Thomas Forester

Rishyasringa said, 'Let me give thee ripe fruits, such as gallnuts, myrobalans, Karushas, Ingudas from sandy tracts and Indian fig.

From The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1 Books 1, 2 and 3 by Kisari Mohan Ganguli

This tree is the Indian fig, and the fruit is very small, not larger than marbles; and without much flavor.

From Three Months of My Life by J. F. Foster

The Indian fig tree, if on the east side of a house, is always auspicious; so also is the Udumvava tree if on the west, and the pipul if on the south, &c.

From Cultus Arborum Phallic Tree Worship by Anonymous