Acanthus (: acanthus, rarely acanthuses in English, or acanthi in Latin), its feminine form acantha (plural: acanthae), the
Latinised form of the
ancient Greek
Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...
word acanthos or akanthos, or the prefix acantho-, may refer to:
Biology
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Acanthus (plant)
''Acanthus'' is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, native to tropical and warm temperate regions, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean Basin and Asia. This flowering plant is nectar-pro ...
, a genus containing plants used for ornament and in traditional medicine
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Acanthus (ornament)
The acanthus () is one of the most common plant forms to make foliage ornament and decoration in the architectural tradition emanating from Greece and Rome.
Architecture
In architecture, an ornament (art), ornament may be carved into stone or w ...
, ornamental forms in architecture using the leaf shape
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Acanthus, an
entomological term for a thornlike projection on an insect, typically a single-celled cuticular growth without tormogen (socket) or sensory cells
Mythology
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Acantha
Acantha () is often claimed to be a minor character in Greek mythology whose metamorphosis was the origin of the '' Acanthus'' plant.Coulter, Charles Russell and Turner, Patricia (2000). ''Encyclopedia Of Ancient Deities''. Routledge. pg.62. . A ...
, a supposed figure in Greek mythology associated with the Acanthus plant
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Acanthus, son of Autonous
In Greek mythology, Acanthus (Ancient Greek: Ακανθος ''Akanthos'' means 'thorn') was the son of Autonous (son of Melaneus) and Hippodamia. He was the brother of Acanthis, Erodius, Anthus and Schoeneus. The bird he turned into has been ...
who received his name after the plant, which was common in his infertile homeland
People
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Acanthus of Sparta
Acanthus the Lacedaemonian (), was the victor in two footrace events, the diaulos () and dolichos (), in the Olympic Games of 720 BC. He was also, according to some accounts, the first who ran naked in these games. Other accounts ascribe this t ...
, an ancient athlete
*Acanthus, the pen-name of the cartoonist
Frank Hoar
Harold Frank Hoar, Royal Institute of British Architects, FRIBA (13 September 1909 – 3 October 1976) was a British architect, artist, academic and architectural historian. Hoar first came to public prominence when, at the age of 25, he wo ...
Places
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Acanthus, Ontario
Acanthus is an unincorporated place and former railway point in geographic Deacon Township in the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District in northeastern Ontario, Canada. Acanthus is located within Algonquin Provincial Park on Cedar Lake ...
, a modern Canadian town
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Acanthus (Caria)
Acanthus or Akanthos (), also called Dulopolis or Doulopolis (Δουλόπολις), was a town of ancient Caria
Caria (; from Greek: Καρία, ''Karia''; ) was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid- Ionia ( Mycal ...
, a town of ancient Caria, near Bybassus
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Acanthus (Egypt)
Kafr Ammar () is a village in the Giza Governorate of Egypt.
The modern village is located on the site of the ancient city of Acanthus (Greek: ; in Ptolemy, ), also known as Tenis (), on the western bank of the Nile, 120 stadia south of Memphis ...
, an ancient Egyptian city
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Akanthos (Greece), an ancient Greek city in Greek Macedonia
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Acantha, County Offaly, a townland in the civil parish of
Durrow, barony of Ballycowan, Ireland
Other uses
*Acanthus path, a fictional tradition of enchanters, magicians and witches in the game ''
Mage: The Awakening''
See also
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List of commonly used taxonomic affixes
This is a list of common affixes used when scientifically naming species, particularly extinct species for whom only their scientific names are used, along with their derivations.
*a-, an-: ''Pronunciation'': /ə/, /a/, /ən/, /an/. ''Origin ...
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