prickly pear

noun

1. any of numerous cacti of the genus Opuntia, having flattened, usually spiny stem joints, yellow, orange, or reddish flowers, and ovoid, often edible fruit.

2. the usually prickly fruit of such a cactus.

prickly pear

noun

1. any of various tropical cacti of the genus Opuntia, having flattened or cylindrical spiny joints and oval fruit that is edible in some species See also cholla nopal

2. the fruit of any of these plants

Word History and Origins

Origin of prickly pear¹

First recorded in 1605–15

Example Sentences

Orchard Hills’ zone is filled with prickly pear cacti, Japanese honeysuckle and Formosa firethorn.

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The plant Mexicans most identify with is the prickly pear cactus.

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She had come to deliver an order of her frozen prickly pear and lime pops but was preoccupied by a just-released decision by Arizona’s highest court that upheld an 1864 law banning nearly all abortions.

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In a prickly pear thicket somewhere in eastern Spain, a troop of predatory ants moves in for the kill.

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In a thicket of prickly pear cacti near Valencia, Spain, a troop of predatory ants moves in for the kill.

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