acanthus
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
acanthus /əˈkanθəs/
▶noun
- 1 a herbaceous plant or shrub with bold flower spikes and spiny decorative leaves, found in warm regions of the Old World. [Genus Acanthus: many species.]
- 2 Architecture a representation of an acanthus leaf, used especially as a decoration for Corinthian column capitals.
– origin via L. from Gk akanthos, from akantha ‘thorn’, from akē ‘sharp point’.
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