THYRSUS

thyrse, thyrsus

(noun) a dense flower cluster (as of the lilac or horse chestnut) in which the main axis is racemose and the branches are cymose

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

thyrsus (plural thyrsi)

A staff topped with a conical ornament, carried by Bacchus or his followers.

(botany) A species of inflorescence; a dense panicle, as in the lilac and horse-chestnut.

Source: Wiktionary


Thyr"sus, n.; pl. Thyrsi. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. Torso.]

1. A staff entwined with ivy, and surmounted by a pine cone, or by a bunch of vine or ivy leaves with grapes or berries. It is an attribute of Bacchus, and of the satyrs and others engaging in Bacchic rites. A good to grow on graves As twist about a thyrsus. Mrs. Browning. In my hand I bear The thyrsus, tipped with fragrant cones of pine. Longfellow.

2. (Bot.)

Definition: A species of inflorescence; a dense panicle, as in the lilac and horse-chestnut.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

11 January 2025

COWBERRY

(noun) low evergreen shrub of high north temperate regions of Europe and Asia and America bearing red edible berries


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, on 25 September 2016, the Birla Institute of Management Technology (India) in Uttar Pradesh, India, constructed the largest coffee cups pyramid consisting of 23,821 cups. They used paper takeaway coffee cups to build the pyramid.

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