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thyrsus Definition

thyr·sus (t̸hʉrsəs)

noun pl. thyrsi′-sī′

  1. a staff tipped with a pine cone and sometimes entwined with ivy or vine leaves, which Dionysus, the satyrs, etc. were represented as carrying
  2. Bot. a flower cluster in which the main stem is racemose and the secondary stems are cymose, as in the lilac

Etymology: L < Gr thyrsos; ? akin to Hittite tuwarsa-, grape vine