nopal

American  

[noh-puhl, noh-pahl, -pal] / ˈnoʊ pəl, noʊˈpɑl, -ˈpæl /

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.

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nopal British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of nopal

1720–30; < Mexican Spanish < Nahuatl nohpalli

Example Sentences

Her only distraction from constant anxiety is the lush garden she tends to daily, with mangoes, nopales, limes and a variety of herbs.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s on the Mexican flag, a golden eagle grasping a snake perched atop a nopal on an island — a reference to the Aztec legend of searching for a new home until encountering that exact scene.

From Los Angeles Times

“I laugh because I’m like, con el nopal en la frente,” she said, lightly slapping her forehead after uttering a colloquialism often used to emphasize someone’s evident Mexican roots via their appearance.

From Los Angeles Times

That vibrant red, a hue prized in Zapotec culture for 2,000 years, is derived from the cochineal, a tiny insect that thrives on nopal cactus.

From Los Angeles Times

Traces of color linger on masonry that was once slathered in bright red paint made by grinding cochinillas, wood lice that live on nopal cactuses.

From New York Times