cactus
Any member of the family Cactaceae, a family of flowering New World succulent plants suited to a hot, semi-desert climate.
Other meanings
Any succulent plant with a thick fleshy stem bearing spines but no leaves, such as euphorbs.
Kinds of cactus
- living rock
- barrel cactus
- rainbow cactus
- orchid cactus
- feather ball
- prickly pear
Word history
From Ancient Greek "κάκτος" (cardoon).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “cactus” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.