Definition of
Cactus
- (noun, plant) any succulent plant of the family Cactaceae native chiefly to arid regions of the New World and usually having spines
via WordNet, Princeton University
Alternate forms of Cactus
Hyponyms: acanthocereus pentagonus, acanthocereus tetragonus, aporocactus flagelliformis, ariocarpus fissuratus, barrel cactus, carnegiea gigantea, chichipe, cholla, christmas cactus, coryphantha, crab cactus, easter cactus, echinocactus, epiphyllum, feather ball, garambulla, garambulla cactus, hatiora gaertneri, hedgehog cereus, knowlton's cactus, lemaireocereus chichipe, living rock, lophophora williamsii, mammillaria, mammillaria plumosa, mescal, mezcal, mistletoe cactus, myrtillocactus geometrizans, night-blooming cereus, nopal, opuntia cholla, orchid cactus, pediocactus knowltonii, peyote, pitahaya, pitahaya cactus, prickly pear, prickly pear cactus, rainbow cactus, rat's-tail cactus, rattail cactus, saguaro, sahuaro, schlumbergera baridgesii, schlumbergera buckleyi, schlumbergera gaertneri, schlumbergera truncatus, thanksgiving cactus, zygocactus truncatus
Hypernyms: succulent
Origin of the word Cactus
- c.1600, from L. cactus "cardoon," from Gk. kaktos, name of a type of prickly plant of Sicily (the Spanish artichoke), perhaps of pre-Hellenic origin. Modern meaning is 18c., because Linnaeus gave the name to a group of plants he thought were related to this but are not. more
via Online Etymology Dictionary, ©2001 Douglas Harper
Words that sound like Cactus
cachectic, cacoethes, cactaceae, caddish, cadge, cadiz, caduceus, caducous, caoutchouc, cascades, cassette deck, casuistic, cat's eye, catch, catchy, catechesis, catechise, catechize, catechu, cathexis, cathodic, cathouse, cattish, caudex, caustic, cautious, cdc, cetacea, cetaceous, cetus, chadic, chaotic, chasidic, chassidic, chastise, chat show, chattahoochee, cistaceae, cistus, city desk, coach dog, coastwise, coccidiosis, cocytus, codex, coitus
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