[acan.thus] n, pl acanthus [NL, genus name, fr. Gk akanthos, an acanthus, fr. akantha thorn] (1616) 1: any of a genus (Acanthus of the family Acanthaceae, the acanthus family) of prickly herbs of the Mediterranean region
2: an ornamentation (as in a Corinthian capital) representing or suggesting the leaves of the acanthus