Spanish bayonet

American  

noun

1. any of certain plants belonging to the genus Yucca, of the agave family, having narrow, spine-tipped leaves and a cluster of white flowers.

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Spanish bayonet British  

noun

1. any of several American liliaceous plants of the genus Yucca, esp Y. aloifolia, that have a tall woody stem, stiff pointed leaves, and large clusters of white flowers: cultivated for ornament See also Adam's-needle

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Etymology

Origin of Spanish bayonet

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45; in allusion to its tropical American origin

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Spanish bayonet

“It is not very costly,” he said, adding that a vegetation barrier of Spanish bayonet, a plant known for its pointy and sharp leaves, would make for “quite a greeting” to any future intruders.

From US News ● Sep. 30, 2014

The camp was in a bend of the Del Norte, in a glade surrounded by tall cotton-woods, whose smooth trunks rose vertically out of a thick underwood of palmettoes and Spanish bayonet.

From The Scalp Hunters by Stewart, F.A.

A little group of riders—three, four, five of them—emerged from behind a clump of Spanish bayonet and signaled with a bandana handkerchief.

From Oh, You Tex! by Raine, William MacLeod

Handsome hedges of the wild pine, the aloe, and the Spanish bayonet line the road, where an occasional royal palm, the emblem of majesty, stands alone, adding grandeur to all the surroundings.

From Due South or Cuba Past and Present by Ballou, Maturin Murray

Cactus and Spanish bayonet harassed him like malignant creatures; skeleton ocatillas and bristling yuccas imposed thorny barriers before him.

From When the West Was Young by Bechdolt, Frederick R. (Frederick Ritchie)