o·pun·ti·a ( -p n sh - , -sh)n. Any of various cacti of the genus Opuntia, especially the prickly pear. [Latin (herba) Op  ntia, Opuntian (herb), feminine of Opntius, of Opus, an ancient town of east-central Greece, from Ops, Opnt-, Opus, from Greek Opous, Opount-.] |
opuntia [ɒˈpʌnʃɪə]
n
(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Plants) any cactus of the genus Opuntia, esp prickly pear, having fleshy branched stems and green, red, or yellow flowers
[New Latin, from Latin Opuntia (herba) the Opuntian (plant), from Opus, ancient town of Locris, Greece]
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  Opuntia - large genus of cactuses native to America: prickly pearscaryophylloid dicot genus - genus of relatively early dicotyledonous plants including mostly flowers prickly pear, prickly pear cactus - cacti having spiny flat joints and oval fruit that is edible in some species; often used as food for stock cholla, Opuntia cholla - arborescent cacti having very spiny cylindrical stem segments; southwestern United States and Mexico |
Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
| ?Page tools | ||
|---|---|---|
|