cactus

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See also: Cactus and cáctus

English[edit]

Saguaro cactus (Ansel Adams, 1941)

Etymology[edit]

From Latin cactus, from Ancient Greek κάκτος (káktos, “cardoon”), possibly of Pre-Greek origin.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

cactus (plural cacti or cactuses or cactusses or cactus)

  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, 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]

Hyponyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Derived terms

Related terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

  • → Welsh: cactws

Translations[edit]

Adjective[edit]

cactus (not comparable)

  1. (Australia, New Zealand, slang) Non-functional, broken, exhausted, dead.
    Synonym: kaput
    • 2001 July 8, Dave, “TV Problems”, in aus.electronics‎[1] (Usenet):
      I wouldn't mind throwing it away if it's cactus except for the VCR part which works fine, so then I'd be up for a new VCR as well.
    • 2004 August 25, AC, “water damage ???”, in alt.cellular.nokia‎[2] (Usenet):
      I would say it's cactus. Water conducts & destroys components & PCBs very easily. Hence the water-resistant phones.
    • 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]

  1. ^ The Chambers Dictionary, 9th Ed., 2003
  2. ^ “cactus”, in Collins English Dictionary.
  3. ^ “cactus”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  4. ^ “cactus”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.
  5. ^ “cactus”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

Further reading[edit]

Asturian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈkaɡtus/, [ˈkaɣ̞.t̪us]

Noun[edit]

cactus m (plural cactus)

  1. (botany) cactus (member of the Cactaceae)

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)

  1. (botany) cactus (member of the Cactaceae)

Further reading[edit]

Dutch[edit]

Dutch Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nl

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin cactus, from Ancient Greek κάκτος (káktos, “cardoon”), of pre-Greek origin.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈkɑk.tʏs/
  • Audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: cac‧tus

Noun[edit]

cactus m (plural cactussen, diminutive cactusje n)

  1. cactus, plant of the family Cactaceae
    Synonym: cactee

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

French[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

cactus m (plural cactus)

  1. cactus

Descendants[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Italian[edit]

Noun[edit]

cactus m (invariable)

  1. cactus

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]

Noun[edit]

cactus m (genitive cactī); second declension

  1. the cardoon, Cynara cardunculus

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]

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]

Borrowed from French cactus.

Noun[edit]

cactus m (plural cactuși)

  1. cactus

Declension[edit]

Declension of cactus
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]

  • IPA(key): /ˈkaɡtus/ [ˈkaɣ̞.t̪us]
  • Rhymes: -aɡtus
  • Syllabification: cac‧tus

Noun[edit]

cactus m (plural cactus)

  1. Alternative form of cacto

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ “cactus” in Diccionario panhispánico de dudas, segunda edición, Real Academia Española, 2023. →ISBN

Further reading[edit]

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