cactus

IPA/ˈkæktəs/
KK[kˈæktəs]IPA/ˈkæktəs/

cactus — noun

  • cactussingular
  • cactiplural

1. a plant from very dry places that stores water in a thick stem and often has sha

1.nounA2
Definition

a plant from very dry places that stores water in a thick stem and often has sharp points instead of ordinary leaves.

Example

A cactus by the kitchen window needs very little water.

common pattern: cactus + needs little water

Priya bought a small cactus for her desk at work.

collocation: small cactus

Common collocations
  • small cactus
  • potted cactus
  • desert cactus
  • touch a cactus
  • cactus plant
Synonyms
  • succulent

    broader term; many succulents store water but are not cacti

  • prickly pear

    one particular kind of cactus, not the general word

Grammar Patterns

countable noun

plural: cacti or cactuses

Usage Note

Usually countable. The regular plural cactuses is common in everyday English, while cacti is also widely used, especially in gardening and science.

Common Mistakes

I bought two cactus for the balcony.
I bought two cacti for the balcony.' / 'I bought two cactuses for the balcony.
Use a plural form after a number.
The cactus has many sharp leaves.
The cactus has many sharp spines.
Most cacti have spines, not ordinary leaves.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Cactus names a specific plant type, while succulent is the broader category. A succulent is any plant that stores water in thick leaves, stems, or roots, so jade plants and aloe are succulents but not cacti. Aloe is especially easy to confuse with cactus because both survive dry weather, yet aloe usually has fleshy leaves rather than a thick spiny stem. Houseplant is different again: it tells you where a plant is kept, not what kind of plant it is. A cactus can be a houseplant, but many houseplants are not cacti. Use cactus when the exact desert plant matters: 'There is a cactus on the shelf.' Use succulent when the wider plant group is enough: 'She collects succulents.'

succulent ↗aloehouseplant ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • cactus garden
  • cactus flower
  • cactus spine
  • cactus pot

Phrases

  • grow a cactus
  • water a cactus
  • a row of cacti

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

English took cactus from Latin cactus, which itself came from Greek kaktos, an older name for a prickly plant. The word later became the usual English name for these thick-stemmed plants from dry regions. Because of the Latin form, the plural cacti became common, although cactuses is also standard in everyday English.