Spanish dagger

American  

noun

1. a stemless or short-trunked plant, Yucca gloriosa, of the agave family, native to the southeastern United States, having leaves nearly 2½ feet (75 centimeters) long, with a stiff, sharp point, and greenish-white or reddish flowers nearly 4 inches (10 centimeters) wide.

---

Etymology

Origin of Spanish dagger

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60

Example Sentences

But by week's end the divers had found a genuine Spanish dagger in a ten-inch sheath encrusted with rust, and two Spanish medallions.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Selah Ranch in Austin, Texas, is a 5,500-acre spread covered by Spanish dagger and prickly pear, often with no sign of the elusive animals that live there.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Spanish dagger plants at the gate pricked his calves painfully and he stumbled forward.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

This and the earlier Spanish dagger with a thumb-ring were distinctively the weapons of professional soldiers.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 8 "Cube" to "Daguerre, Louis" by Various

The cactus and Spanish dagger, and the ever-present sage bush of the lower levels, had disappeared, crow's-foot and blue-joint grasses swung in the wind.

From The Spirit of Sweetwater by Garland, Hamlin