nopal
A prickly pear cactus from the genus Opuntia, especially Opuntia cochinellifera; the edible pads (fleshy leaves) of the cactus, considered as food.
Noun
- A prickly pear cactus from the genus Opuntia, especially Opuntia cochinellifera; the edible pads (fleshy leaves) of the cactus, considered as food.
- They rode up through cholla and nopal, a dwarf forest of spined things, through a stone gap in the mountains and down among blooming artemisia and aloe. - 1985, Cormac McCarthy, chapter VII, in Blood Meridian […] ,...
- Nopal is a prickly pear native to arid areas of North and South America.[…]Nopal is high in fiber, vitamins, protein, and mucilage. - 2010, Vincent Morelli, Roger Zoorob, Integrative Medicine in Primary Care, Part II,...
Origin
From Spanish nopal, from Classical Nahuatl nohpalli (“Opuntia cactus”). Compare nopales.