Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Any of various succulent, spiny, usually leafless plants native mostly to arid regions of the New World, having variously colored, often showy flowers with numerous stamens and petals.
- n. Any of several similar plants.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The old and Linnean name for the group of plants, considered a single genus, which now form the order Cactaceæ. In popular use the name (with its plural cacti) is still applied to members of this order without distinction. The cochineal cactus is the Opuntia Tuna, Nopalea cochinillifera, and other species cultivated for the cochineal insect; the hedgehog cactus, species of Echinocactus; the melon or melon-thistle cactus, species of Melocactus; the nipple cactus, species of Mamillaria; the night-blooming cactus (or night-blooming cereus), Cereus grandiflorus, and other species; the old-man cactus, Cereus senilis, etc.
Wiktionary
- n. Any member of the family Cactaceae, a family of flowering New World succulent plants suited to a hot, semi-desert climate.
- n. Any succulent plant with a thick fleshy stem bearing spines but no leaves, including euphorbs.
- adj. Non-functional, broken, exhausted.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Any plant of the order Cactacæ, as the prickly pear and the night-blooming cereus. See cereus. They usually have leafless stems and branches, often beset with clustered thorns, and are mostly natives of the warmer parts of America.
WordNet 3.0
- n. any succulent plant of the family Cactaceae native chiefly to arid regions of the New World and usually having spines
Etymologies
- Latin, cardoon, from Greek kaktos.
Examples
“This brain cactus is another of the plant species found in the botanical gardens in Phoenix, one of the most peaceful environments that I know.”
“A novelty to foreign visitors, the cactus is as common on the Mexican plate as potatoes or rice in many other parts of the world.”
“The prickley pear cactus is in bloom and besides their beauty, quail and javalina love to feed on their blossoms.”
What are the best states and best areas within the state for quail hunting? Are Rattlers a problem?
“I like tweezers but that is because I hunt in cactus country quite a bit.”
“The cactus is a metaphor for Saul as a person and his reciprocal relationship with Jesse.”
Breaking Bad Recap: Episode 3 “I.F.T.” is a Slow Burn and a Saucy Acronym | /Film
“Take cuttings during the dry season, let them dry for ten days prior to planting in cactus mix soil.”
Caladium, candleabra cactus and canna lily: ornamental plants and flowers of tropical Mexico
“The story of the national emblem (used on coins, documents and the flag), an eagle devouring a serpent, while perched on a prickly-pear cactus, is well known.”
Did You Know? Some national symbols in Mexico are not what they seem
“However, the cactus is nothing new in the Mexican diet, and, in some parts of the country, certain cactus products are still seasonally elemental table fare.”
“The shakes contain pure Hoodia Gordonii, the cactus from the Kalahari Desert South Africa, and reported to contain a molecule that suppresses appetite.”
“But my Christmas cactus is exploding with blooms and I felt compelled to share.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘cactus’.
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The Sweet Smell of...
Things that smell good.
rain, rose, cinnamon, clove, jasmine, apple, sandalwood, rexo, bamboo, bacon, maple, eucalyptus and 36 more...
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Desert ingredients
dune, sand, wind, cactus, wadi, oasis, gibber, barchan, bilby, arroyo, mirage, heat and 59 more...
knitandpurl Australian slang for dead.
"Dolly saw it was his right hand. His bloody working hand. A man could hardly pick his nose with a thumb and half a pointer. They were done for; stuffed, cactus."
Cloudstreet by Tim Winton, p 15 of the Graywolf Press hardcover edition Mar 25, 2010