nopal
noun
no·pal nō-ˈpäl 
-ˈpal
-ˈpal ˈnō-pəl
plural nopals or nopales nō-ˈpä-lās
-ˈpa-
1
: any of a genus (Nopalea) of cacti of Mexico and Central America that differ from the prickly pears in having erect petals and scarlet flowers with the stamens much longer than the petals
broadly : prickly pear
2
: a fleshy young tender stem segment of the prickly pear cactus (especially Opuntia ficus-indica) or the nopal cactus used as food
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web That is the true taste of tuna, the fruit of the nopal. 
Minerva Orduño Rincón, The Arizona Republic, 8 Sep. 2022 Here, the Saporito family, hailing from Tabasco, Mexico, presses out a rainbow of seven different types of corn tortillas doctored up with homemade flavoring mixes—magenta beetroot, fiery orange guajillo, green nopal. The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 8 Sep. 2022 Nopales soaked in unaged whiskey form the base for a lime cocktail that’s simultaneously light from the lime and nopal, and substantial from the whiskey. Dakota Kim, Sunset, 22 Jan. 2018
Minerva Orduño Rincón, The Arizona Republic, 8 Sep. 2022 Here, the Saporito family, hailing from Tabasco, Mexico, presses out a rainbow of seven different types of corn tortillas doctored up with homemade flavoring mixes—magenta beetroot, fiery orange guajillo, green nopal. The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 8 Sep. 2022 Nopales soaked in unaged whiskey form the base for a lime cocktail that’s simultaneously light from the lime and nopal, and substantial from the whiskey. Dakota Kim, Sunset, 22 Jan. 2018 Word History
Etymology
Spanish, from Nahuatl nohpalli
First Known Use
1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1