opuntia

/ (ɒˈpʌnʃɪə) /

noun

any cactus of the genus Opuntia, esp prickly pear, having fleshy branched stems and green, red, or yellow flowers

Origin of opuntia

C17: New Latin, from Latin Opuntia (herba) the Opuntian (plant), from Opus, ancient town of Locris, Greece

Words Nearby opuntia

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

How to use opuntia in a sentence

The cochineal insect is indigenous here, and is found upon the Cactus opuntia.
Petals Plucked from Sunny Climes | Sylvia Sunshine
And presently Pablo noted something on the ground, at a distance, beside a clump of opuntia.
The Woodlands Orchids | Frederick Boyle
I am greatly obliged to you about the opuntia, and shall be glad if you can remember Catalpa.
More Letters of Charles Darwin Volume II | Charles Darwin
Prickly-pear cactus (opuntia lindheimeri) was common in those stands of mesquite, and we saw an occasional yucca tree.
Vertebrates from the Barrier Island of Tamaulipas, Mxico | Robert K Selander
The most widely distributed of the various groups of cacti is the prickly pear group of the genus opuntia.
The Fantastic Clan | John James Thornber

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