nopal

American  

[noh-puhl, noh-pahl, -pal] / ˈnoʊ pəl, noʊˈpɑl, -ˈpæl /

noun

1. any of several cacti of the genus Nopalea, resembling the prickly pear.

2. the fruit of such a cactus, or of a similar cactus, as the prickly pear.

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nopal British  

/ ˈnəʊpəl /

noun

1. any of various cactuses of the genus Nopalea, esp the red-flowered N. cochinellifera, which is a host plant of the cochineal insect

2. a cactus, Opuntia lindheimeri, having yellow flowers and purple fruits See also prickly pear

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Etymology

Origin of nopal

1720–30; < Mexican Spanish < Nahuatl nohpalli

Example Sentences

That vibrant red, a hue prized in Zapotec culture for 2,000 years, is derived from the cochineal, a tiny insect that thrives on nopal cactus.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 29, 2024

Traces of color linger on masonry that was once slathered in bright red paint made by grinding cochinillas, wood lice that live on nopal cactuses.

From New York Times • Dec. 23, 2023

I am once again eating nopal and have decided to take it with both of my meals.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 8, 2022

Heavy on the acidity, with a pronounced vegetal flavor, Fluère Smoked Agave not only tastes of its namesake, but nopal cactus, as well.

From Salon • May 3, 2022

It’s a little slippery, and it’s no sopa de nopal, but I’d take it over bioloaf.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera