acanthus

noun

acan·​thus ə-ˈkan(t)-thəs 

plural acanthus

1

: any of a genus (Acanthus of the family Acanthaceae, the acanthus family) of prickly perennial herbs chiefly of the Mediterranean region

2

: an ornamentation (as in a Corinthian capital) representing or suggesting the leaves of the acanthus

Illustration of acanthus

• acanthus 2

Examples of acanthus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Visitors to the British galleries can climb the stairs, with their intricate carvings of acanthus foliage, oak leaves and other vegetation, to inspect a new mezzanine area. —Peter Saenger, WSJ, 23 Jan. 2020

Hillsides of unruly acanthus — nature's template for Corinthian columns — precede the Domus Augustana. —Washington Post, 12 July 2019

Instead of angels and saints, there were soldiers beheading one another; instead of Madonnas and Christs, there were pregnant women sprouting from acanthus buds. —Junot Díaz, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2018

The acanthus leaves on the column have remained consistent over millennia and, over time, have come to represent more than just a sturdy plant. —Phil Edwards, Vox, 28 Mar. 2018

The bezels on each center stone are composed of acanthus leaves sculpted in gold. —Stellene Volandes, Town & Country, 6 Mar. 2018

The native black walnut, darkened with lamp black and oiled with linseed oil, was carved with life-like birds, flowers and acanthus leaves that can be seen on so much of their work. —Janelle Gelfand, Cincinnati.com, 5 May 2017

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin, borrowed from Greek ákanthos, a plant of the genus Acanthus (as A. mollis or A. spinosus), masculine derivative of ákanthă "thorn, prickle, thorny plant, spine (of a fish), backbone," probably of pre-Greek substratal origin

First Known Use

1551, in the meaning defined at sense 1