Logo
dictionary thesaurus

nopal

noun
no·​pal | \ nō-ˈpäl How to pronounce nopal (audio) , -ˈpal; ˈnō-pəl How to pronounce nopal (audio) \
plural nopals or nopales\ nō-​ˈpä-​lās How to pronounce nopales (audio) , -​ˈpa-​ \

Definition of nopal

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

Examples of nopal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 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, "How to Mix the Bounty of Nature into the Wildest Cocktails Ever," 22 Jan. 2018

First Known Use of nopal

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for nopal

Spanish, from Nahuatl nohpalli

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

minutia

play

See Definitions and Examples

Get Word of the Day daily email!