nopal
Americannoun
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any of several cacti of the genus Nopalea, resembling the prickly pear.
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the fruit of such a cactus, or of a similar cactus, as the prickly pear.
noun
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any of various cactuses of the genus Nopalea, esp the red-flowered N. cochinellifera, which is a host plant of the cochineal insect
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a cactus, Opuntia lindheimeri, having yellow flowers and purple fruits See also prickly pear
Etymology
Origin of nopal
1720–30; < Mexican Spanish < Nahuatl nohpalli
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The nopal cactus is cast from a real nopal and hand-poured in 100% pure beeswax in the Los Angeles studio.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
It comes from the crushed bodies of tiny female insects that contain carminic acid and feed on the pads of nopal cactus plants.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 1, 2023
Heavy on the acidity, with a pronounced vegetal flavor, Fluère Smoked Agave not only tastes of its namesake, but nopal cactus, as well.
From Salon ● May 3, 2022
Three hours northwest of Mexico City, this community of 3,000 people is surrounded by razor-sharp cactuses, like the nopal, and sun-scorched desert trees, like the palo dulce.
From New York Times ● Mar. 21, 2022
It’s a little slippery, and it’s no sopa de nopal, but I’d take it over bioloaf.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
