Acanthus (Plant)

Acanthus (Plant)
Acanthus (Plant)
    Acanthus
    † Catholic_Encyclopedia ► Acanthus
    A plant, indigenous to middle Europe, the leaf of which has served in all ages as an ornament, or for ornamentation. There are two varieties, one wild and thorny, and one with soft branches without spines. The acanthus appears for the first time in the arts in ancient Greece. It was chosen for decorative purposes because of the beauty of its leaves, as well as for its abundance on Greek soil. At first it was taken directly from nature. Greek sculpture rendered it with truthful expression, whether of the soft or the spiky variety, showing the character, texture, and model of the leaf. During the fifth century B.C. the acanthus ornament took an important place especially in architecture, and was the principal ornament of the Corinthian capital. From the conquest of Alexander in the East can be traced the transformation of the acanthus that is found in later Eastern art.
    THOMAS H. POOLE

The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VIII. — New York: Robert Appleton Company. . 1910.


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  • Acanthus — (plural: acanthus , rarely acanthuses (English) or acanthi (Latin), or feminine form acantha) is the Latinized form of the Greek Acanthos or Akanthos. It can also be used as the prefix Acantho , meaning thorny . It may refer to:Botany* Acanthus… …   Wikipedia

  • Acanthus (ornament) — The acanthus is one of the most common ornaments used to depict foliage. [Philippa Lewis Gillian Darley, Dictionary of Ornament (1986) Pantheon: NY] Architectural ornaments are carved in stone or wood in the appearance of leaves from the… …   Wikipedia

  • acanthus — [ə kan′thəs] n. pl. acanthuses or acanthi [ə kan′thī΄, ə kan′thē΄] [ModL < L < Gr akanthos: see ACANTHO ] 1. any of a genus (Acanthus) of thistlelike plants of the acanthus family with lobed, often spiny leaves and long spikes of white or… …   English World dictionary

  • acanthus — ► NOUN 1) a plant or shrub with bold flower spikes and spiny decorative leaves. 2) Architecture a representation of an acanthus leaf. ORIGIN Greek akanthos, from akantha thorn …   English terms dictionary

  • Acanthus — • A titular see of Macedonia, on the Strymonic Gulf, now known as Erisso • An ornamental plant indigenous to middle Europe Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Acanthus — ♦ Plant of which the leaves are represented in a classical capital of the Corinthian order. (Wood, Margaret. The English Medieval House, 409) …   Medieval glossary

  • Acanthus (genus) — Taxobox name = Acanthus image width = 240px image caption = Acanthus montanus regnum = Plantae divisio = Magnoliophyta classis = Magnoliopsida ordo = Lamiales familia = Acanthaceae genus = Acanthus genus authority = L. subdivision ranks = Species …   Wikipedia

  • acanthus — acanthine /euh kan thin, thuyn/, adj. /euh kan theuhs/, n., pl. acanthuses, acanthi / thuy/. 1. any of several plants of the genus Acanthus, of the Mediterranean region, having spiny or toothed leaves and showy, white or purplish flowers. Cf.… …   Universalium

  • Acanthus mollis — Taxobox name = Acanthus mollis image width = 240px regnum = Plantae divisio = Magnoliophyta classis = Magnoliopsida ordo = Lamiales familia = Acanthaceae genus = Acanthus species = A. mollis binomial = Acanthus mollis binomial authority = L.… …   Wikipedia

  • acanthus family — noun widely distributed herbs and shrubs and trees; sometimes placed in the order Scrophulariales • Syn: ↑Acanthaceae, ↑family Acanthaceae • Hypernyms: ↑asterid dicot family • Member Holonyms: ↑Polemoniales, ↑order Polem …   Useful english dictionary

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