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acantha. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
acantha, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
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English
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἄκανθα (ákantha, “thorn”), from ἀκή (akḗ, “thorn”) + ἄνθος (ánthos, “flower”).
Pronunciation
Noun
acantha (plural acanthas)
- (botany) A prickle.
- (zoology) A spine or prickly fin.
- (anatomy) A spinous process of a vertebra.
1968, Margaret Tallmadge May, Galen on the usefulness of the parts of the body, translation of original by Galen, page 581:Moreover, all the outgrowths which I have said constitute the acantha are not of equal size in all the vertebrae, and Nature has done this with wonderful forethought.
1980, Renate Zauner, Speaking of Children's Posture Problems and the Injuries They Cause, page 55:Individual vertebral bodies (right) as seen from the side and from above. The acantha is the spiney projection on the right of each illustration: in the lower illustration the boney spinal canal is shown between the acantha and the vertebral body.
2005, Michael Foeldi, Roman Strossenreuther, Foundations of Manual Lymph Drainage, page 73:Rotary strokes or stationary circles in the direction of the flank / Alternate from the acantha of the vertebral column in the direction of the flank (medial to lateral)