Definition of 'acanthus'

Word Frequency

acanthus in British

(əˈkænθəs ) or acanth (əˈkænθ)

noun plural -thuses or -thi (-θaɪ)

any shrub or herbaceous plant of the genus Acanthus, native to the Mediterranean region but widely cultivated as ornamental plants, having large spiny leaves and spikes of white or purplish flowers: family Acanthaceae

Image of 'acanthus'

Word Frequency

acanthus in American

(əˈkænθəs ; əkanˈt həs)

nounWord forms: plural aˈcanthuses or aˈcanˌthi (əˈkænˌθaɪ ; əkanˈt hīˌ; əˈkænˌθi ; əkanˈt hēˌ)

any of a genus (Acanthus) of thistlelike plants of the acanthus family with lobed, often spiny leaves and long spikes of white or colored flowers, found in the Mediterranean region

2. Architecture

a motif or conventional representation of the leaf of this plant, used esp. on the capitals of Corinthian columns

adjective

designating a family (Acanthaceae, order Scrophulariales) of dicotyledonous plants, including bear's-breech

Word origin of 'acanthus'

ModL < L < Gr akanthos: see acantho-

Example sentences containing 'acanthus'

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The wallpaper was a sepia-toned print of acanthus leaves; the carpet had plate-sized pink roses all over it. S.M. Stirling T2©: RISING STORM (1991)

Word Lists

Architectural features, flower, shrub

Trends of 'acanthus'

Used Rarely. acanthus is in the lower 50% of commonly used words in the Collins dictionary

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Nearby words of 'acanthus'

Source

Definition of acanthus from the Collins English Dictionary

Compound tenses

The compound tenses are a combination of present or past tense (shown through an auxiliary verb) with continuous or perfect aspect. See also Tense and Aspect. I ’m doing my homework at the moment, ...