Main Entry: opun·tia

Pronunciation: \ō-ˈpən(t)-sh(ē-)ə\

Function: noun

Etymology: Latin, a plant, from feminine of opuntius of Opus, from Opunt-, Opus Opus, ancient city in Greece

Date: 1601

: any of a large genus (Opuntia) of American cacti with usually yellow flowers and flat or terete joints usually studded with tubercles bearing spines or prickly hairs — compare cholla, prickly pear