Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A sharp spiny part or structure, such as the spinous process of a vertebra.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In botany, a prickle.
  • noun In zoology, a spine or prickly fin.
  • noun In anatomy: One of the spinous processes of the vertebræ. The vertebral column as a whole.
  • noun [capitalized] In entomology, a genus of coleopterous insects.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Bot.) A prickle.
  • noun (Zoöl.) A spine or prickly fin.
  • noun (Anat.) The vertebral column; the spinous process of a vertebra.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun botany A prickle.
  • noun zoology A spine or prickly fin.
  • noun anatomy (Can we verify(+) this sense?) The vertebral column; the spinous process of a vertebra.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun any sharply pointed projection

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[New Latin, from Greek akantha, thorn.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Greek ἄκανθα (akantha, "thorn"), from ἄκρα (akra, "point"). See acute.

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Examples

  • My journal was called acantha and we exchanged a couple of emails about gay/lesbian groups in the DC area I live in NoVA.

    shattered vuboq 2006

  • The genus name Acacia is derived from the greek word acantha meaning spine, thorn or prickle and the species name xanthophloea is derived from the greek words xanthos meaning yellow and phloios phloea meaning bark.

    Archive 2007-07-01 2007

  • The genus name Acacia is derived from the greek word acantha meaning spine, thorn or prickle and the species name xanthophloea is derived from the greek words xanthos meaning yellow and phloios phloea meaning bark.

    Healing qualities of the Fever Tree 2007

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