cholla

[ chohl-yah, -yuh; Spanish chaw-yah ]

noun

, plural chol·las [chohl, -yahz, -y, uh, z, chaw, -yahs].

1. any of several spiny treelike cacti belonging to the genus Opuntia, especially O. fulgida of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, having knobby outgrowths and yellow spines.

cholla

/ ˈtʃəʊljɑː; ˈtʃoʎa /

noun

1. See prickly pear
   any of several spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia that grow in the southwestern US and Mexico and have cylindrical stem segments See also prickly pear

Word History and Origins

Origin of cholla¹

First recorded in 1855–60, Americanism; from Mexican Spanish cholla “head” (perhaps from dialectal Old French cholle “ball,” from Germanic)

Word History and Origins

Origin of cholla¹

Mexican Spanish, from Spanish: head, perhaps from Old French (dialect) cholle ball, of Germanic origin

Example Sentences

As they strolled through a cholla forest, one of the hikers discovered a chunk of cactus stuck to the tip of his shoe.

From Popular-Science

The so-called jumping cholla doesn’t really jump, but once it catches onto you the barbed spines stay put.

From Popular-Science

Here and elsewhere in the Phoenix region, keep an eye out for teddy-bear cholla.

From Outside Online

He had scratches on his wrist, maybe from a cholla cactus or from sleeping under a mesquite tree.

From The Daily Beast

The dried heaps of cholla stirred as if unseen paws had pressed them.

From Project Gutenberg

As they reached the open trail, thrush and to-hee fluttered from the cholla.

From Project Gutenberg

Cholla, a suburb of Catamarca, is inhabited wholly by Calchaqui Indians, a remnant of the original inhabitants of this region.

From Project Gutenberg

The designation “Cane Cacti” is also applied to the Cholla in allusion to their stems, from which cactus canes are manufactured.

From Project Gutenberg

The fruit becomes dry after ripening, and like many a Cholla fruit remains green upon the plant for a year or even longer.

From Project Gutenberg