acanthus
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Contents
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Latin acanthus, from Ancient Greek ἄκανθος (ákanthos), from ἀκή (akḗ, “thorn”) + ἄνθος (ánthos, “flower”).[1][2]
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
acanthus (plural acanthuses or acanthi)
- A member of the genus Acanthus of herbaceous prickly plants with toothed leaves, (family Acanthaceae, order Scrophulariales) found in the south of Europe, Asia Minor, and India.[First attested in the mid 16th century.][2]
- (architecture) An ornament resembling the foliage or leaves of Acanthus spinosus, used in the capitals of the Corinthian and composite orders.[First attested in the mid 18th century.][2]
Synonyms[edit]
- (a member of Acanthus): bear's breech, bear's breeches, bear's-breech (rare)
Translations[edit]
plant
ornament
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- acanthus in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
Latin[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Ancient Greek ἄκανθος (ákanthos), from ἀκή (akḗ, “thorn”) + ἄνθος (ánthos, “flower”).
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
acanthus m (genitive acanthī); second declension
- A plant known as bear's-foot (Helleborus foetidus).
- A thorny evergreen tree.
Inflection[edit]
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | acanthus | acanthī |
| Genitive | acanthī | acanthōrum |
| Dative | acanthō | acanthīs |
| Accusative | acanthum | acanthōs |
| Ablative | acanthō | acanthīs |
| Vocative | acanthe | acanthī |
Descendants[edit]
- → Spanish: acanto
References[edit]
- acanthus in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- acanthus in The Perseus Project (1999) Perseus Encyclopedia[1]
- acanthus in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
- acanthus in William Smith, editor (1848) A Dictionary of Greek Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray
- acanthus in William Smith, editor (1854, 1857) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, volume 1 & 2, London: Walton and Maberly
Categories:
- English terms borrowed from Latin
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English nouns with irregular plurals
- en:Architecture
- en:Acanthus family plants
- Latin terms derived from Ancient Greek
- Latin 3-syllable words
- Latin terms with IPA pronunciation
- Latin lemmas
- Latin nouns
- Latin masculine nouns
- Latin second declension nouns
- Latin masculine nouns in the second declension
- la:Plants
