Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Any of various perennial herbs or small shrubs of the genus Acanthus, native to the Mediterranean and having pinnately lobed basal leaves with spiny margins and showy spikes of white or purplish flowers. Also called bear's breech.
- n. Architecture A design patterned after the leaves of one of these plants, used especially on the capitals of Corinthian columns.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In botany, a genus of tall herbaceous plants of southern Europe and Africa, natural order Acanthaceæ. They have large spinosely toothed leaves, and are sometimes cultivated for the sake of their beautiful foliage.
- n. [lowercase] The common name of plants of this genus. In zoology, a genus of crustaceans. [lowercase] In architecture, a characteristic ornament derived from or resembling the conventionalized foliage or leaves of the acanthus, used in capitals of the Corinthian and Composite orders, and in Roman, Byzantine, medieval, and Renaissance architecture generally, as upon friezes, cornices, modillions, etc.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Bot.) A genus of herbaceous prickly plants, found in the south of Europe, Asia Minor, and India; bear's-breech.
- n. (Arch.) An ornament resembling the foliage or leaves of the acanthus (Acanthus spinosus); -- used in the capitals of the Corinthian and Composite orders.
WordNet 3.0
- n. any plant of the genus Acanthus having large spiny leaves and spikes or white or purplish flowers; native to Mediterranean region but widely cultivated
Etymologies
- New Latin Acanthus, genus name, from Greek akanthos, thorn plant, from akantha, thorn. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The Corinthian order is also very feminine in nature, characterised primarily by its ornate capitals, which sport two rows of sculpted acanthus leaves with small volutes spiral scrolls in the corners.”
The Guardian: Renaissance architecture: how to identify the Roman orders
“Its columns are tall and slender, its capitals have bountiful acanthus leaves with big scrolls and its entablature sports an ostentatiously sculpted frieze and cornice.”
The Guardian: Renaissance architecture: how to identify the Roman orders
“In private gardens acanthus and purple lavender grow ... but where, I wonder are the townspeople?”
“On the south side, a large acanthus medallion sprouts amid a field of stone rosettes, as delicate as on the day they were first chiseled.”
The Wall Street Journal: Temple of the 'Bride of the Desert'
“Stern-faced caryatids with gilded wings support card tables, above legs carved as muscular lions' paws; gilded acanthus leaves curl around the pillars of center tables and sideboards.”
“Perhaps the most alarming decay has beset the capitals, blocks of marble carved into swirling patterns of acanthus leaves.”
The Washington Post: U-Va. Rotunda waits in line for repairs
“It has the same growth habits and culture requirements as a traditional acanthus — part sun/shade with rich, well-drained, soil — but the blooms are a stunning, sparkly white.”
“Designed by landscape gardener Patrick Charoy, director of the town's nature, cities and gardens department, and opened in 2002, the tour can be followed year-round with a free map from the tourist office on Place Fran ois Mitterrand or by looking out for the trail of bronze acanthus leaves set in the pavement”
“In private gardens acanthus and purple lavender grow... but where, I wonder are the townspeople?”
“He brought me exotic acanthus, its flowery gray and white "tail" trailing from a plastic sac ...”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘acanthus’.
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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Another 250 Spelling Words
Another range of words from the intermediate to the advanced speller's level.
cherimoya, parthenogenesis, sommelier, bupkis, kichel, voulge, indivisibility, retiarius, sewellel, vihuela, ossature, jalfrezi and 238 more...
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Columniation
A list of terms pertaining to columns employed in architecture.
hypostyle, peristyle, columniation, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, base, shaft, capital, entablature, architrave, frieze and 78 more...
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Flora
fenugreek, verbena, saxifrage, arbutus, calendula, nasturtium, lobelia, hellebore, rhododendron, philodendron, bellflower, heuchera and 449 more...
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Pale Fire
rubicund, buttonhole, stillicide, preterist, curio, iridule, lemniscate, cherubic, portico, vestry, rodstein, sectile and 107 more...
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learning
A list of words whose meanings I am learning, either because a) I don't know the meaning b) I know the meaning, but could stand to better appreciate certain inflections or secondary meanings or c) ...
louche, educe, loam, cob, sclerotic, palliate, axial, syndicalist, ecumenical, sally, fatuous, parvenu and 1381 more...
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the name of the rose
pleasing words I encounter whilst reading umberto eco's novel of the same name.
matins, lauds, prime, terce, sext, nones, vespers, compline, usurper, simoniac, heresiarch, malefactor and 230 more...
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The Garden on Ryons Street
I spent a few seasons doing gardening work for a former English professor. This is just a list of some of the friends I made in her garden. (Some of these plants spent the winter inside, of course.)
filipendula, Tradescantia, eglantine, Ispahan, Comtesse de Murinais, Crested Moss, rugosa rose, goutweed, creeping charlie, buttercup, lilac, cedar and 97 more...
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fountainhead
perversion, reproachful, mitigate, proletariat, cadaverous, gallantry, jauntily, malevolent, eludicate, sonorous, solicitude, dubious and 97 more...
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Alpha
A
aasvogel, aberuncator, abibliophobia, abscission, absquatulate, abstemious, abstergent, abstriction, acalculia, acanthus, achillean, acuminate and 86 more...
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ASplinteredFawn's Words
psychedelic, syd barrett, heroin, amphetamines, dextroamphetamines, alprazolam, lysergic acid, clouds, trees, music, books, oscar wilde and 11 more...
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Architectural Nomenclature
See that part on that building?
mutule, muntin, modillion, voussoir, volute, corbel, trefoil, peristyle, guilloche, rinceau, transept, grisaille and 45 more...
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Symbols
names of symbols
geoid, lemniscate, yin-yang, mandala, cross, triquetra, torii, fylfot, flammulation, mascle, delta, crescent and 30 more...
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the garden
"Won't you meet me at the gates
Won't you meet me at the gates
Won't you meet me at the gates
To the garden"oak, herbaceous, willow, pine, juniper, birch, cedar, yew, hawthorn, honeysuckle, lilac, lavender and 71 more...
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Architectural Terms
cartouche, acanthus, architectural, gargoyle, perpendicular, gothic, column, arch
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