acanthus

The story

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromἄκανθος“thorn”
2. Latin · borrowed fromacanthus
3. English todayacanthus

From Latin acanthus, from Ancient Greek ἄκανθος (ákanthos, “thorn”), from ἀκή (akḗ, “point”) + ἄνθος (ánthos, “flower”).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from mid 16th century A member of the genus Acanthus of herbaceous prickly plants with toothed leaves, (family Acanthaceae, order Lamiales (formerly Scrophulariales)) found in the south of Europe, Asia Minor, and India.
• from mid 18th century An ornament resembling the foliage or leaves of Acanthus spinosus, used in the capitals of the Corinthian and composite orders.