Meanings
nounaculeus (plural aculei)
plural aculei
- biologyA sharp spike or other projection growing on a plant, as in some brambles and roses.First known use 18th c.
Many plants, like many animals, are furnished with arms for their protection; these are either aculei, prickles, as in rose and barberry, which are formed from the outer bark of the plant; or spinæ, thorns […].
1789, Erasmus Darwin, The Loves of the Plants, J. Johnson, page 15 - A sting.
Origin
- Latinaculeus
- Latinaculeus
- Englishaculeus
Borrowed from Latin aculeus.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan aculi
- aculiprickle growing on the bark
Portuguese acúleo
- acúleoprickle growing on the bark
Cite this entry
APA
aculeus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aculeus
MLA
“aculeus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aculeus. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “aculeus,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aculeus.
Source: aculeus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.