cactus Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun any succulent plant of the family Cactaceae native chiefly to arid regions of the New World and usually having spines

WordNet

Cac"tus noun
Etymology
L., a kind of cactus, Gr. .
Wordforms
plural E Cactuses Cacti
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) Any plant of the order Cactacæ, as the prickly pear and the night-blooming cereus. See Cereus. They usually have leafless stems and branches, often beset with clustered thorns, and are mostly natives of the warmer parts of America.

Webster 1913