prickly pear

American  

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.

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prickly pear British  

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

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Etymology

Origin of prickly pear

First recorded in 1605–15

Example Sentences

You’ve been up Kindcreek Road before; it cuts through a wild patch of hill country, flanked by fruiting prickly pears and disheveled oak.

From Literature

On Camino Escalante, Guthrie’s squat, orange brick house is set back from the road behind a lawn planted with prickly pear, agave, cholla and yucca.

From The Wall Street Journal

None of the flowers seem quite right, so I decide on a small potted prickly pear cactus.

From Literature

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

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Science Magazine