Definition of 'acanthus'
noun plural -thuses or -thi (-θaɪ)
1.
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
See also bear's-breech2.
a carved ornament based on the leaves of the acanthus plant, esp as used on the capital of a Corinthian column
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin of 'acanthus'
Image of 'acanthus'
© Shannon Workman, shutterstock
nounWord forms: plural aˈcanthuses or aˈcanˌthi (əˈkænˌθaɪ
; əkanˈt hīˌ; əˈkænˌθi
; əkanˈt hēˌ)
1.
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
3.
designating a family (Acanthaceae, order Scrophulariales) of dicotyledonous plants, including
bear's-breech
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Trends of 'acanthus'
Used Rarely. acanthus is in the lower 50% of commonly used words in the Collins dictionary
View usage for:
Nearby words of 'acanthus'
Source
Definition of acanthus from the
Collins English Dictionary
5 unusual words & phrases to upgrade your World Cup 2018 banter
Impress your friends, family and colleagues with this unusual collection of football lingo.
Read more
VAR, planebae & a peng sort: July’s Words in the News
Catch up on the latest words in the news this July with Robert Groves.
Read more
Join the Collins community
All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month.
Read more