cactus

[ kak-tuhs ]

noun

, plural cac·ti [kak, -tahy], cac·tus·es, cac·tus.

1. any of numerous succulent plants of the family Cactaceae, of warm, arid regions of the New World, having fleshy, leafless, usually spiny stems, and typically having solitary, showy flowers.

cactus

/ kækˈteɪʃəs; ˈkæktəs /

noun

1. any spiny succulent plant of the family Cactaceae of the arid regions of America. Cactuses have swollen tough stems, leaves reduced to spines or scales, and often large brightly coloured flowers
2. cactus dahlia
   a double-flowered variety of dahlia

Derived Forms

• cactaceous, adjective

Other Words From

• cactus·like cactoid adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cactus¹

1600–10; < Latin < Greek káktos cardoon

Word History and Origins

Origin of cactus¹

C17: from Latin: prickly plant, from Greek kaktos cardoon

Example Sentences

The hillside around Robert Dickran’s home in Camarillo Heights was dotted with burnt cacti and charred brush, showing just how close the fire came to his home.

From Los Angeles Times

Saguaro cacti in the Sonoran desert, of course.

From Los Angeles Times

All that’s left is a clump of white painted metal clinging to the mountainside among the cacti and sandy brown soil.

From Los Angeles Times

After a few hours of falling down into desert washes and getting spiked by cactuses, the group realized they were in trouble.

From Salon

As the coordinator of the park’s Preventative Search and Rescue Program, her mission is to protect visitors from hazards that include extreme heat, razor-sharp cacti and thirsty bees.

From Los Angeles Times

What Is The Plural Of Cactus?

Plural word for cactus

The plural form of cactus can be either cacti, cactuses, or cactus. Cacti is most commonly used. Like many words derived from Latin, it is pluralized by replacing the -us ending with -i, as in fungus/fungi and nucleus/nuclei. 

However, the plural form cactuses, created by adding the typical -es to the end, is also correct. This alternative plural form is also acceptable for some other Latin-derived or related terms, as in focus/foci/focuses and radius/radii/radiuses.