acanthus
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acanthus
- /əˈkæn.θəs/ UK
- /əˈkæn.θəs/ US
Rhymes with -ænθəs
Where it comes from
From Latin acanthus, from Ancient Greek ἄκανθος (ákanthos, “thorn”), from ἀκή (akḗ, “point”) + ἄνθος (ánthos, “flower”).
noun acanthuses · acanthi
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A member of the genus Acanthus of herbaceous prickly plants with toothed leaves, (family Acanthaceae, order Lamiales (formerly Scrophulariales)) found in the south of Europe, Asia Minor, and India.
The picture before which they paused represented one of those ruined fountains so common to Italy. Francesca gazed upon it as if it had been an old friend: many a time, beside such a one, with its curved and broken marble, had she wreathed the acanthus that hung around it, the green and trailing fol
Similar: bear's breech, bear's breeches, bear's-breech
- An ornament resembling the foliage or leaves of Acanthus spinosus, used in the capitals of the Corinthian and composite orders. It is difficult to imagine that Bernard of Clairvaux was gullible enough to accept dozens of historiated windows, grisaille fields of griffins, mosaic pavements, carved acanthus capitals, inhabited vine columns, and golden altarware on the strength of the justifications offered by a single window, o
Translations
Talk about this word "acanthus." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/acanthus. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. acanthus. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/acanthus "acanthus." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/acanthus.Cite this
@misc{acanthus_2026,
title = {acanthus},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/acanthus},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
