nopal

[ noh-puhl, noh-pahl, -pal ]

noun
  1. any of several cacti of the genus Nopalea, resembling the prickly pear.

  2. the fruit of such a cactus, or of a similar cactus, as the prickly pear.

Origin of nopal

1
1720–30; <Mexican Spanish <Nahuatl nohpalli

Words Nearby nopal

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British Dictionary definitions for nopal

nopal

/ (ˈnəʊpəl) /


noun
  1. any of various cactuses of the genus Nopalea, esp the red-flowered N. cochinellifera, which is a host plant of the cochineal insect

  2. a cactus, Opuntia lindheimeri, having yellow flowers and purple fruits: See also prickly pear

Origin of nopal

1
C18: from Spanish, from Nahuatl nopálli cactus

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