pyracantha

[ pahy-ruh-kan-thuh ]

noun

, plural py·ra·can·thas.

1. firethorn.

pyracantha

/ ˌpaɪrəˈkænθə /

noun

1. any rosaceous shrub of the genus Pyracantha, esp the firethorn, widely cultivated for ornament

Word History and Origins

Origin of pyracantha¹

1700–10; < New Latin Pyracantha type genus < Greek pȳrákantha kind of shrub, equivalent to pŷr fire + ákantha thorn

Word History and Origins

Origin of pyracantha¹

C17: from Greek purakantha name of a shrub, from pyro- + akantha thorn

Example Sentences

Pyracantha, both for its perpetual verdure, if the fences had not already challengd it, chap.

From Project Gutenberg