cactus

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkæktəs/, /ˈkæktʌs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈkæktəs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

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.
   • 1895, J[ohn] W[esley] Powell, chapter I, in Canyons of the Colorado, Meadville, PA: Flood & Vincent; republished as The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons, New York: Dover, 1961, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 22:

     On the mountains a few junipers and piñons are found, and cactuses, agave, and yuccas, low, fleshy plants with bayonets and thorns.

2. Any succulent plant with a thick fleshy stem bearing spines but no leaves, such as euphorbs.

Usage notes

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

• (member of Cactaceae): succulent

Hyponyms

• (member of Cactaceae): nopal, saguaro

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

• → Welsh: cactws

Translations

Adjective

cactus (not comparable)

1. (Australia, New Zealand, slang) Non-functional, broken, exhausted, dead.

   Synonym: kaput

   • 2001 July 8, Dave, “TV Problems”, in aus.electronics‎ (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 (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, 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

See also

• succulent

References

Further reading

• Cactus in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)
• Cactus on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Category:Cactaceae on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

Asturian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkaɡtus/,

Noun

cactus m (plural cactus)

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

Catalan

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencian)

Noun

cactus m (invariable)

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

Further reading

• “cactus” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “cactus”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “cactus” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “cactus” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Dutch

Dutch Wikipedia has an article on:

cactusfamilie

Wikipedia ^nl

Alternative forms

• kaktus (superseded)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑk.tʏs/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: cac‧tus

Noun

cactus m (plural cactussen, diminutive cactusje n)

1. cactus, plant of the family Cactaceae

   Synonym: cactee

Derived terms

Descendants

• Afrikaans: kaktus
• → Indonesian: kaktus

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kak.tys/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

cactus m (plural cactus)

1. cactus

Descendants

• Turkish: kaktüs

Further reading

• “cactus”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Italian

Noun

cactus m (invariable)

1. cactus

Further reading

• cactus in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams

• stucca

Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek κάκτος (káktos, “cardoon”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈkak.tus/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈkak.tus/,

Noun

cactus m (genitive cactī); second declension

1. the cardoon, Cynara cardunculus

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Descendants

• Translingual: Cactus
• → English: cactus
  • → Welsh: cactws
• → Czech: kaktus
• → Italian: cactus
• → Greek: κάκτος (káktos)
• → Spanish: cacto
• → Sicilian: cactus
• → Galician: cacto
• → German: Kaktus
• → Portuguese: cato, cáctus, cacto

References

• “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

Etymology

Borrowed from French cactus.

Noun

cactus m (plural cactuși)

1. cactus

Declension

Spanish

Etymology

From translingual Cactus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkaɡtus/
• Rhymes: -aɡtus
• Syllabification: cac‧tus

Noun

cactus m (plural cactus)

1. Alternative form of cacto

Derived terms

References

Further reading

• “cactus”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014