cactus

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Pronunciation 1.2 Noun 1.2.1 Usage notes 1.2.2 Translations 1.2.3 See also 1.3 Adjective 2 French 2.1 Pronunciation 2.2 Noun 3 Latin 3.1 Etymology 3.2 Noun 3.2.1 Inflection

[edit] English

Wikipedia

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈkæktʊs/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}

[edit] Noun

cactus (plural cacti or cactuses)

1. (botany) Any member of the family Cactaceae, a family of flowering New World succulent plants suited to a hot, semi-desert climate.
2. Any succulent plant with a thick fleshy stem bearing spines but no leaves, including euphorbs.

[edit] Usage notes

The most precise definition of cactus includes only plants from the New World (the Americas) belonging to the family Cactaceae. Only one species of cactus is native to the Old World, namely the genus Pereskea is a shrubby leafy cactus that grows in western Africa. However, many African species of the family Euphorbiaceae grow in forms and shapes that resemble large species of Cactaceae. These forms are colloquially referred to as “cactus”. In general, then, any usage of the term “cactus” to plants from the Old World refers to plants in the Euphorbiaceae.

[edit] Translations

[edit] See also

• succulent

[edit] Adjective

cactus (comparative more cactus, superlative most cactus)

1. (Australian, slang) Non-functional, broken, exhausted.

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[edit] French

[edit] Pronunciation

•  Audio^{help, file}

[edit] Noun

cactus m. (plural cactus)

1. cactus

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[edit] Latin

[edit] Etymology

From Ancient Greek κάκτος (kaktos) "cardoon"

[edit] Noun

cactus (genitive cactī); m, second declension

1. the cardoon, Cynara cardunculus

[edit] Inflection

Second declension (2).

Number	Singular	Plural
nominative	cactus	cactī
genitive	cactī	cactōrum
dative	cactō	cactīs
accusative	cactum	cactōs
ablative	cactō	cactīs
vocative	cacte	cactī