n.
Any of several spiny, shrubby, or treelike cacti of the genus Opuntia having cylindrical stem segments.
[American Spanish, from obsolete Spanish, upper part of the head, possibly from Old French cholle, round lump, head, of Germanic origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
