Meanings
prickly pear1
nounprickly pear (plural prickly pears)
plural prickly pears
- Any of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia.
"I wonder where those prickly pear blossoms came from," he mused.
1949, Dorothy M. Johnson, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance; in Indian Country, London: Corgi, 1961, page 107Synonyms: Indian fig, cactus pear, desert pear, pimploe, tuna
- The fruit, often edible, of such a plant.
Prickly Pear2
proper noun
- An island of the British Virgin Islands.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia.
More synonyms by meaning
nouncacti having spiny flat joints and oval fruit that is edible in some species; often used as food for stock
Similar
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
prickly pear · noun
From prickly + pear, from the nature of the plant's fruit, which, like the cactus it grows on, has spines on its surface.
Full word history & related roots →Prickly Pear · proper noun
The island is named for the prickly pear (“Opuntia sp.”) plants which grow on it.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans turksvy, turksvy
- turksvyany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- turksvycactus fruit
Arabic تِين شَوْكِيّ, بَلَس
- تِين شَوْكِيّ (tīn šawkiyy)any of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- بَلَس (balas)any of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- صُبَّار (ṣubbār)any of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- تِين شَوْكِيّ (tīn šawkiyy)cactus fruit
- بَلَس (balas)cactus fruit
- صُبَّار (ṣubbār)cactus fruit
Bulgarian кактусова смокиня, опу́нция
- кактусова смокиня (kaktusova smokinja)any of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- опу́нция (opúncija)any of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- кактусова смокиня (kaktusova smokinja)cactus fruit
Catalan figuera de moro, figa de moro
- figuera de moroany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- figa de morocactus fruit
Chinese Mandarin 仙人掌, 仙人掌果
- 仙人掌 (xiānrénzhǎng)any of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- 仙人掌果 (xiānrénzhǎngguǒ)cactus fruit
Czech opuncie
- opuncieany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
Dutch vijgcactus, cactusvijg
- vijgcactusany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- cactusvijgcactus fruit
Esperanto opuntio
- opuntioany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
Finnish viikunakaktus, kaktusviikuna
- viikunakaktusany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- kaktusviikunacactus fruit
French figuier de Barbarie, figue de Barbarie
- figuier de Barbarieany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- figue de Barbariecactus fruit
German Kaktusfeige, Feigenkaktus
- Kaktusfeigeany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- Feigenkaktusany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- Kaktusfeigecactus fruit
Greek φραγκοσυκιά, οπούντια
- φραγκοσυκιά (fragkosykiá)any of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- οπούντια (opoúntia)any of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- φραγκόσυκο (fragkósyko)cactus fruit
Hebrew צַבָּר
- צַבָּר (tzabár)any of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
Irish piorra deilgneach, piorra deilgneach
- piorra deilgneachany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- piorra deilgneachcactus fruit
Italian fico d'India, ficodindia
- fico d'Indiaany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- ficodindiaany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- fico d'Indiacactus fruit
Japanese うちわさぼてん
- うちわさぼてん (uchiwa saboten)any of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
Korean 선인장속
- 선인장속 (seoninjangsok)cactus fruit
Polish opuncja, opuncja
- opuncjaany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- opuncjacactus fruit
Portuguese figueira-da-índia, figo-da-índia
- figueira-da-índiaany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- figo-da-índiacactus fruit
Punjabi ਨਾਗਫਨੀ
- ਨਾਗਫਨੀ (nāgphanī)any of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
Russian колю́чая гру́ша, инде́йская смо́ква
- колю́чая гру́ша (koljúčaja grúša)any of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- инде́йская смо́ква (indéjskaja smókva)any of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- опу́нция (opúncija)cactus fruit
- колю́чая гру́ша (koljúčaja grúša)cactus fruit
- инде́йская смо́ква (indéjskaja smókva)cactus fruit
Scottish Gaelic peur-stobach
- peur-stobachany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
Spanish higo chumbo, tuna
- higo chumboany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- tunaany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- nopalany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- higuera de palaany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- higuera de tunaany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- higo chumbocactus fruit
- higo de palacactus fruit
- higo de tunacactus fruit
- tunacactus fruit
Swedish fikonkaktus, kaktusfikon
- fikonkaktusany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- kaktusfikoncactus fruit
Welsh opwntia, gellygen bigog
- opwntiaany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- gellygen bigogany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
- peren bigogany of various spiny cacti of the genus Opuntia
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with prickly pear
aretherewherecarecompareairsharehairmaryrepairfairbearwearrarelayerpairawareprepareprayermayorterrorPierresparebare
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Cite this entry
APA
prickly pear. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prickly%20pear
MLA
“prickly pear.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prickly%20pear. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “prickly pear,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prickly%20pear.
Source: prickly pear on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.