Cactus definition
Any of numerous succulent, spiny, usually leafless plants of the family Cactaceae, native chiefly to arid regions of the Americas, having variously colored, often showy flowers with numerous stamens and petals.
noun
Any of several similar plants.
noun
Any desert plant of the cactus family, native to the New World, with fleshy stems, reduced or spinelike leaves, and often showy flowers.
noun
(Australia, slang) Non-functional, broken, exhausted.
adjective
Designating a family (Cactaceae) of dicotyledonous plants (order Caryophyllales), including the prickly pear, saguaro, and cereus.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun
Singular:
cactus
Plural:
cacti, cactusesOrigin of cactus
- Latin cardoon from Greek kaktos
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From Latin cactus (“a spiny plant, possibly the cardoon”), from Ancient Greek κάκτος (kaktos)
From Wiktionary
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From Wiktionary