Adjacent Words

Cereus definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: genus of much-branched treelike or shrubby cacti with pronounced ribs and rounded needlelike spines and nocturnal flowers usually white [syn: Cereus, genus Cereus]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: New Latin, genus name, from Latin, wax candle, from cera wax — more at cerumen Date: 1730 any of various cacti (as of the genus Cereus) of the western United States and tropical America

Britannica Concise

Any of various large cacti (genus Cereus and related genera) of the W U.S. and tropical New World, incl. the saguaro and the organ-pipe cactus (Lemairocereus thurberi, also L. marginatus or C. thurberi). The genus Selenicereus (night-blooming cereus, or moon cactus), containing about 20 species, is known for its large, usually fragrant, night-blooming white flowers, among the largest in the cactus family. The queen-of-the-night (S. grandiflorus), the best-known night-blooming cereus, is often grown indoors.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Cereus Ce"re*us, n. [L., a wax candle, fr. cera wax. So named from the resemblance of one species to the columnar shape of a wax candle.] (Bot.) A genus of plants of the Cactus family. They are natives of America, from California to Chili. Note: Although several species flower in the night, the name Night-blooming cereus is specially applied to the Cereus grandiflorus, which is cultivated for its beautiful, shortlived flowers. The Cereus giganteus, whose columnar trunk is sometimes sixty feet in height, is a striking feature of the scenery of New Mexico, Texas, etc.