Word Study
opuntia
CIDE DICTIONARY
opuntia, prop. n. [NL.].
A genus of cactaceous plants; the prickly pear, or Indian fig. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
opuntia, n. any cactus of the genus Opuntia, with jointed cylindrical or elliptical stems and barbed bristles. Also called prickly pear.
Etymology
L plant-name f. Opus -untis in Locris in ancient Greece
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