Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Thyrsus

Thyrsus , noun

[Latin, from Greek {not transcribed}. Compare Torso.]

1.
A staff entwined with ivy, and surmounted by a pine cone, or by a bunch of vine or ivy leaves with grapes or berries. It is an attribute of Bacchus, and of the satyrs and others engaging in Bacchic rites.
A good to grow on graves As twist about a thyrsus. — Mrs. Browning
In my hand I bear The thyrsus, tipped with fragrant cones of pine. — Longfellow
2.
(Botany) A species of inflorescence; a dense panicle, as in the lilac and horse-chestnut.