nopal
nopal Lexical Profile
nopal Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The tender, fleshy, flattened green pad (cladode) of the prickly pear cactus, peeled of its spines and widely prepared as a culinary vegetable in Mexican cuisine.
"She diced the grilled nopal and tossed it with tomatoes, onions, and cilantro for a refreshing salad."
Any of several prickly pear cacti of the genus Opuntia native to Mexico and the southwestern United States, characterized by flat, oval, spine-bearing stem segments and cultivated both for its edible parts and as a host plant for cochineal insects.
"The arid hillside was dotted with wild nopal and agave plants."
The sweet, juicy, oval berry produced by the nopal cactus, having a thick rind and vibrant magenta, red, or yellow flesh studded with small edible seeds.
"At the market, they bought fresh nopal fruit to blend into a sweet summer beverage."
• Rhymes for nopal
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 16th century from Spanish nopal, which derives from Classical Nahuatl nopalli, the Aztec word for the prickly pear cactus.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.