Acanthus
Acanthus ({not transcribed}) , noun
[Latin, from Greek {not transcribed}. Compare Acantha.]
1.
(Botany) A genus of herbaceous prickly plants, found in the south of Europe, Asia Minor, and India; bear's-breech.
2.
(Architecture) An ornament resembling the foliage or leaves of the acanthus (Acanthus spinosus); -- used in the capitals of the Corinthian and Composite orders.