acanthusn.

Etymology: < classical Latin acanthus plant of the genus Acanthus (especially Acanthus mollis, also Acanthus spinosus), leaf of this plant as a motif in sculpture, carving, and embroidery, gum arabic tree, timber of this tree, shittim wood < ancient Greek ἄκανθος < ἄκανθα thorn, of uncertain origin; the first element probably represents Hellenistic Greek ἄκανος kind of thistle ( < ἄκ- , stem seen in e.g. ancient Greek ἀκίς pointed object ( < the same Indo-European base as edge n.) + -ανος , suffix seen in a number of plant names); the second element may be ancient Greek ἄνθος flower (see anthos n.), in which case there has been syllabic reduction. Compare French acanthe (1450 in Middle French as achante denoting the leaves of the plant used as textile, 1516 as acante denoting the plant), Spanish acanto (1490 as †acantho denoting the plant, 1563 denoting the conventionalized representation of the leaf), Portuguese acanto (1548 as †acantho), Italian acanto (a1333 denoting the conventionalized representation of the leaf, a1340 denoting the plant).Compare Old English acanton , denoting either a plant of the genus Acanthus or a kind of thistle, e.g. cotton thistle, Onopordum acanthium ( < post-classical Latin acanton (first half of 11th cent. in the same source as quot. OE), variant of classical Latin acanthion thorny plant, cotton thistle < ancient Greek ἀκάνθiον small thorny plant, in Hellenistic Greek specifically ‘cotton thistle’ (Dioscorides) < ancient Greek ἄκανθα thorn (see above) + -iον, diminutive suffix):OE tr. Pseudo-Apuleius Herbarium (Vitell.) (1984) cliv. 196 Ðeos wyrt þe man acanton [?a1200 Harl. 6258B acanton] & oþrum naman beowyrt nemneð byþ cenned on wynsumon stowum.