any of numerous succulent plants of the family Cactaceae, of warm, arid regions of the New World, having fleshy, leafless, usually spiny stems, and typically having solitary, showy flowers.
any spiny succulent plant of the family Cactaceae of the arid regions of America. Cactuses have swollen tough stems, leaves reduced to spines or scales, and often large brightly coloured flowers
2.
cactus dahlia a double-flowered variety of dahlia
[C17: from Latin: prickly plant, from Greek kaktos cardoon]
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
c.1600, from L. cactus "cardoon," from Gk. kaktos, name of a type of prickly plant of Sicily (the Spanish artichoke), perhaps of pre-Hellenic origin. Modern meaning is 18c., because Linnaeus gave the name to a group of plants he thought were related to this but are not.
n. peyote cactus containing mescaline. (Drugs.) : Gert came back from vacation with a bag of cactus buttons.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
Caterpillars of this moth are capable of destroying entire stands of cacti with their feeding.
Other plants, such as cacti, have special means of storing and conserving water.
Desert bighorn sheep are opportunistic feeders, eating a variety of plant material, including cacti.
Some cacti are more spiny than others but that is more likely related to different species and habitats.
Despite their prickly armor, cacti are not immune to predators.
Found in many different shapes and sizes, cacti provide food and homes for different birds and insects.
The timing was perfect to catch the effervescent glow that early sunrise creates and that these cacti are famous for.
Plants include orchids, lilies, coffee plants and cacti.
The permanent collection includes tropical plants, orchids, bonsai and many unusual cacti and succulents.
For many homeowners, water-wise landscaping brings to mind nightmarish visions of cacti, rock and cattle skulls.