Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Acanthus"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Acanthus \A*can"thus\, n.; pl. E. {Acanthuses}, L. {Acanthi}.
[L., from Gr. ?. Cf. {Acantha}.]
1. (Bot.) A genus of herbaceous prickly plants, found in the
south of Europe, Asia Minor, and India; bear's-breech.
2. (Arch.) An ornament resembling the foliage or leaves of
the acanthus ({Acanthus spinosus}); -- used in the
capitals of the Corinthian and Composite orders.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
acanthus
n : any plant of the genus Acanthus having large spiny leaves
and spikes or white or purplish flowers; native to
Mediterranean region but widely cultivated
Additional Hypertext Webster Gateway Lookup
Gateway by dict@stokkie.net
stock only wrote the gateway and does not have any control over the contents;
see the Webster Gateway FAQ,
and also the Back-end/database links and credits.