prickly pear

noun

1

or prickly pear cactus : opuntia

especially : an opuntia with flattened, usually paddle-shaped, jointed stem segments compare cholla, nopal

2

or prickly pear fruit : the pulpy, pear- or egg-shaped, edible, yellow to purplish-red fruit of various prickly pears (such as Opuntia ficus-indica) see tuna entry 2

Illustration of prickly pear

• prickly pear 1

Examples of prickly pear in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This product has avocado oil, prickly pear seed, jojoba oil, and so many other yummy ingredients that my skin drinks up. —Kiana Murden, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2025

Native to Puerto Rico and parts of the Leeward Islands, cowboy prickly pear can grow to 10 feet tall in the wild. —Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Jan. 2025

This point was reinforced when we were asked to identify the source of chew marks on a prickly pear. —Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024

Sunflower seed oil, prickly pear oil, rosehip seed oil and betula alba bring vitamins and essentially fatty acids to the skin to calm, soothe and help protect against environmental aggressors. —Maya Gandara, StyleCaster, 10 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1696, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for prickly pear

• aftercare
• anywhere
• billionaire
• chinaware
• debonair
• dinnerware
• disrepair
• doctrinaire
• earthenware
• everywhere
• frigidaire
• kitchenware

Kids Definition

prickly pear

noun

1

: any of numerous cacti with spines and usually flat stem segments

2

: the pear-shaped sweet edible pulpy fruit of a prickly pear