acanthus
(noun) any plant of the genus Acanthus having large spiny leaves and spikes or white or purplish flowers; native to Mediterranean region but widely cultivated
Source: WordNet® 3.1
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.]
(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.]
• (a member of Acanthus): bear's breech, bear's breeches, bear's-breech (rare)
Source: Wiktionary
A*can"thus, n.; pl. E. Acanthuses, L. Acanthi. Etym: [L., from Gr. Acantha.]
1. (Bot.)
Definition: A genus of herbaceous prickly plants, found in the south of Europe, Asia Minor, and India; bear's-breech.
2. (Arch.)
Definition: An ornament resembling the foliage or leaves of the acanthus (Acanthus spinosus); -- used in the capitals of the Corinthian and Composite orders.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
25 December 2024
(adjective) having or exhibiting a single clearly defined meaning; “As a horror, apartheid...is absolutely unambiguous”- Mario Vargas Llosa
The first coffee-house in Mecca dates back to the 1510s. The beverage was in Turkey by the 1530s. It appeared in Europe circa 1515-1519 and was introduced to England by 1650. By 1675 the country had more than 3,000 coffee houses, and coffee had replaced beer as a breakfast drink.
