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Definition of Acanthus in English :

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Acanthus meaning in English

Meaning of Acanthus in English

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Acanthus pronunciation in English

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Acanthus

see synonyms of acanthus

Noun

1. acanthus

any plant of the genus Acanthus having large spiny leaves and spikes or white or purplish flowers; native to Mediterranean region but widely cultivated

WordNet Lexical Database for English. Princeton University. 2010.

Acanthus

see synonyms 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-breech
2. 
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

Acanthus

see synonyms of acanthus
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.

Acanthus

see synonyms of acanthus
n. pl. a·can·thus·es or a·can·thi (-thī′)
1. Any of various perennial herbs or small shrubs of the genus Acanthus, native to the Mediterranean and having pinnately lobed basal leaves with spiny margins and showy spikes of white or purplish flowers.
2. Architecture A design patterned after the leaves of one of these plants, used especially on the capitals of Corinthian columns.

The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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