cactus
English
[edit]![](http://178.128.105.246/cars-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Saguaro_cactus_Aan05.jpg/220px-Saguaro_cactus_Aan05.jpg)
Etymology
[edit]From Latin cactus, from Ancient Greek κάκτος (káktos, “cardoon”), possibly of Pre-Greek origin.
Pronunciation
[edit]- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈkæktəs/, /ˈkæktʌs/[1][2][3]
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈkæktəs/[4][5]
Audio (US): (file) Audio (General Australian): (file)
Noun
[edit]cactus (plural cacti or cactuses or cactusses or cactus)
- (botany) Any member of the family Cactaceae, a family of flowering New World succulent plants suited to a hot, semi-desert climate.
- 1895, J[ohn] W[esley] Powell, chapter I, in Canyons of the Colorado, Meadville, PA: Flood & Vincent; republished as The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons, New York: Dover, 1961, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 22:
- On the mountains a few junipers and piñons are found, and cactuses, agave, and yuccas, low, fleshy plants with bayonets and thorns.
- Any succulent plant with a thick fleshy stem bearing spines but no leaves, such as euphorbs.
Usage notes
[edit]In modern English, the term cactus properly refers to plants belonging to the family Cactaceae. With one exception, all are native to North and South America. The sole exception is Rhipsalis, a jungle epiphyte found in tropical Africa, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka, as well as North and South America. Informally, cactus is used to refer to any stem succulent adapted to a dry climate, notably species from genus Euphorbia with forms reminiscent of Cactaceae. These succulents are better described as "cactoid" or "cactiform" unless they are actual members of the Cactaceae.
Hypernyms
[edit]- (member of Cactaceae): succulent
Hyponyms
[edit]Derived terms
[edit]- Aaron's beard cactus, Aaron's-beard cactus (Opuntia leucotricha)
- agave cactus (Leuchtenbergia principis)
- applecactus (Harrisia spp.)
- apple cactus (Cereus repandus, Harrisia spp.)
- ball cactus (many species in several genera)
- balloon cactus (Parodia magnifica)
- barbed-wire cactus (Acanthocereus tetragonus)
- barrel cactus (Echinocactus spp., Ferocactus spp.)
- barrel cactus virus (Cactus virus X)
- beehive cactus (Coryphantha spp.)
- bird's nest cactus (Mammillaria spp.)
- bunny ear cactus, bunny ears cactus (Opuntia microdasys)
- button cactus (Epithelantha spp.)
- cactus cat
- cactus coral (Mussidae spp., Pavona cactus)
- cactus dahlia
- cactus deermouse (Peromyscus eremicus)
- cactus euphorbia (Euphorbia ingens)
- cactus fig (Opuntia spp.)
- cactus geranium (Pelargonium echinatum)
- Cactus League
- cactuslike
- cactus longhorn beetle (Moneilema spp.)
- cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum)
- cactus mouse (Peromyscus eremicus)
- cactus pear (Opuntia spp.)
- Cactus virus X
- cactus woodpecker (Dryobates scalaris cactophilus)
- cactus wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus)
- cactusy
- candle cactus, cane cactus (Opuntia spp.)
- chin cactus (Gymnocalycium spp.)
- cholla cactus (Cylindropuntia spp.)
- Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera spp.)
- cob cactus (Echinocereus enneacanthus)
- cochineal cactus (Nopalea cochinellifera)
- compass cactus (Echinocactus spp., Ferocactus spp.)
- crab cactus (Schlumbergera truncata, syn. Zygocactus truncatus)
- creeping devil cactus (Stenocereus eruca, syn. Machaerocereus eruca)
- crown cactus (Rebutia spp.)
- deerhorn cactus (Peniocereus greggii)
- dildo cactus (Acanthocereus tetragonus)
- divine cactus (Lophophora williamsii)
- dumpling cactus (Lophophora williamsii)
- Easter cactus (Schlumbergera gaertneri)
- fairy castle cactus (Acanthocereus tetragonus)
- feather cactus (Mammillaria plumosa)
- finger cactus (Coryphantha sulcata)
- fishhook cactus (Mammillaria, Echinomastus, and Sclerocactus spp.)
- foxtail cactus (Escobaria spp.)
- giant cactus (Carnegiea gigantea)
- gold lace cactus (Mammillaria elongata)
- grizzly-bear cactus (Opuntia erinacea)
- hairbrush cactus (Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum)
- hatchet cactus (Pelecyphora aselliformis)
- hedge cactus (Cereus repandus, Cereus hildmannianus, syn. Cereus peruvianus)
- hedgehog cactus (Pediocactus, Echinocereus, and Echinopsis spp.)
- holiday cactus (Schlumbergera spp.)
- horse crippler cactus (Echinocactus spp.)
- Jacob cactus (Fouquieria splendens)
- jointed cactus (Opuntia aurantiaca)
- jumping cactus (Cylindropuntia fulgida)
- Knowlton's cactus (Pediocactus knowltonii)
- ladyfinger cactus (Mammillaria elongata, (Echinocereus pentalophus)
- large-flowered cactus (species)
- lava cactus (Brachycereus nesioticus)
- leaf cactus (Epiphyllum spp., Pereskia spp.)
- melon cactus (Melocactus spp.)
- mistletoe cactus (Rhipsalis spp.)
- moonlight cactus (Harrisia spp.)
- nipple cactus (Mammillaria spp.)
- noncactus
- old lady cactus (Mammillaria hahniana)
- old-man cactus (Cephalocereus senilis)
- orchid cactus (Epiphyllum spp. and hybrids)
- organ cactus, organ pipe cactus (Stenocereus thurberi)
- organ pipe cactus (Stenocereus thurberi)
- peanut cactus (Chamaecereus silvestrii)
- pencil cactus (Euphorbia tirucalli, Cylindropuntia ramosissima)
- peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii)
- pincushion cactus (Pelecyphora vivipara)
- pingpong ball cactus (Epithelantha bokei)
- pitahaya cactus Acanthocereus tetragonus, Acanthocereus pentagonus)
- polka-dot cactus (Opuntia microdasys)
- prickly pear cactus (Opuntia spp.)
- rabbit ears cactus (Opuntia microdasys)
- rainbow cactus (Echinocereus spp.)
- rattail cactus (Mammillaria pottsii)
- saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea)
- serpent cactus (Nyctocereus serpentinus)
- snake cactus (several species)
- snowball cactus (Mammilloydia candida)
- star cactus (Astrophytum asterias)
- Steinbach's crown cactus (Rebutia steinbachii
- strawberry cactus (Mammillaria dioica), Echinocereus enneacanthus)
- thimble cactus (Mammillaria gracilis)
- Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata, syn. Zygocactus truncatus)
- tree cactus (Pilosocereus spp., Carnegiea gigantea)
- vine cactus (Fouquieria splendens)
- willow cactus, willow-cactus (Rhipsalis spp.)
- woodlouse cactus (Pelecyphora aselliformis)
Related terms
[edit]Descendants
[edit]- → Welsh: cactws
Translations
[edit]
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Adjective
[edit]cactus (not comparable)
- (Australia, New Zealand, slang) Non-functional, broken, exhausted, dead.
- Synonym: kaput
- 2009, Will Chaffey, Swimming with Crocodiles: An Australian Adventure[3], page 108:
- ‘It′s cactus,’ Rod, the helicopter pilot, said at the sound of the piston ring shattering.
- 2018, “Fractured”, in Wentworth:
- Michael Armstrong: "Michael Armstrong, I represent Sonia Stevens."
Sue "Boomer" Jenkins: "Oh, haven't you heard? She cactus."
Armstrong "Yes, I realize that, and that's a terrible business.
Related terms
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ The Chambers Dictionary, 9th Ed., 2003
- ^ “cactus”, in Collins English Dictionary.
- ^ “cactus”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- ^ “cactus”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.
- ^ “cactus”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
Further reading
[edit]Cactus in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)
Cactus on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Category:Cactaceae on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
Asturian
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]cactus m (plural cactus)
Catalan
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Borrowed from Latin cactus, from Ancient Greek κάκτος (káktos, “cardoon”), of pre-Greek origin.
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]cactus m (invariable)
Further reading
[edit]- “cactus” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
- “cactus”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
- “cactus” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
- “cactus” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
Dutch
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]- kaktus (superseded)
Etymology
[edit]Borrowed from Latin cactus, from Ancient Greek κάκτος (káktos, “cardoon”), of pre-Greek origin.
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]cactus m (plural cactussen, diminutive cactusje n)
Derived terms
[edit]Descendants
[edit]French
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]cactus m (plural cactus)
Descendants
[edit]- Turkish: kaktüs
Further reading
[edit]- “cactus”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Italian
[edit]Noun
[edit]cactus m (invariable)
Further reading
[edit]- cactus in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
Anagrams
[edit]Latin
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Ancient Greek κάκτος (káktos, “cardoon”).
Pronunciation
[edit]- (Classical Latin) IPA(key): /ˈkak.tus/, [ˈkäkt̪ʊs̠]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈkak.tus/, [ˈkäkt̪us]
Noun
[edit]cactus m (genitive cactī); second declension
Declension
[edit]Second-declension noun.
Case | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
Nominative | cactus | cactī |
Genitive | cactī | cactōrum |
Dative | cactō | cactīs |
Accusative | cactum | cactōs |
Ablative | cactō | cactīs |
Vocative | cacte | cactī |
Descendants
[edit]- Translingual: Cactus
- → English: cactus
- → Welsh: cactws
- → Czech: kaktus
- → Italian: cactus
- → Greek: κάκτος (káktos)
- → Spanish: cacto
- → Sicilian: cactus
- → Galician: cacto
- → German: Kaktus
- → Portuguese: cato, cáctus, cacto
References
[edit]- “cactus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- cactus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
Romanian
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Noun
[edit]cactus m (plural cactuși)
Declension
[edit]singular | plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite articulation | definite articulation | indefinite articulation | definite articulation | |
nominative/accusative | (un) cactus | cactusul | (niște) cactuși | cactușii |
genitive/dative | (unui) cactus | cactusului | (unor) cactuși | cactușilor |
vocative | cactusule | cactușilor |
Spanish
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From translingual Cactus.[1]
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]cactus m (plural cactus)
- Alternative form of cacto
Derived terms
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ “cactus” in Diccionario panhispánico de dudas, segunda edición, Real Academia Española, 2023. →ISBN
Further reading
[edit]- “cactus”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
- English terms borrowed from Latin
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English terms derived from a Pre-Greek substrate
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English indeclinable nouns
- English nouns with irregular plurals
- en:Botany
- English terms with quotations
- English adjectives
- English uncomparable adjectives
- Australian English
- New Zealand English
- English slang
- en:Cacti
- en:Succulents
- Asturian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Asturian lemmas
- Asturian nouns
- Asturian masculine nouns
- ast:Botany
- Catalan terms borrowed from Latin
- Catalan terms derived from Latin
- Catalan terms derived from Ancient Greek
- Catalan terms with IPA pronunciation
- Catalan lemmas
- Catalan nouns
- Catalan indeclinable nouns
- Catalan countable nouns
- Catalan masculine nouns
- ca:Botany
- Dutch terms borrowed from Latin
- Dutch terms derived from Latin
- Dutch terms derived from Ancient Greek
- Dutch terms with IPA pronunciation
- Dutch terms with audio links
- Dutch lemmas
- Dutch nouns
- Dutch nouns with plural in -en
- Dutch masculine nouns
- nl:Plants
- French 2-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French terms with audio links
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French masculine nouns
- fr:Plants
- Italian lemmas
- Italian nouns
- Italian indeclinable nouns
- Italian countable nouns
- Italian masculine nouns
- it:Cacti
- Latin terms derived from Ancient Greek
- Latin 2-syllable words
- Latin terms with IPA pronunciation
- Latin lemmas
- Latin nouns
- Latin second declension nouns
- Latin masculine nouns in the second declension
- Latin masculine nouns
- la:Plants
- la:Vegetables
- Romanian terms borrowed from French
- Romanian terms derived from French
- Romanian lemmas
- Romanian nouns
- Romanian countable nouns
- Romanian masculine nouns
- Spanish terms derived from Translingual
- Spanish 2-syllable words
- Spanish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Spanish/aɡtus
- Rhymes:Spanish/aɡtus/2 syllables
- Spanish lemmas
- Spanish nouns
- Spanish countable nouns
- Spanish masculine nouns