acantha
English
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἄκανθα (ákantha, “thorn”), from ἀκή (akḗ, “thorn”) + ἄνθος (ánthos, “flower”).
Pronunciation
- (General American) IPA(key): /əˈkæn.θə/, /əˈkænt.θə/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
Noun
acantha (plural acanthas)
- (botany) A prickle.
- (zoology) A spine or prickly fin.
- (anatomy) A spinous process of a vertebra.
- 1968, Margaret Tallmadge May, Galen on the usefulness of the parts of the body, translation of original by Galen, page 581:
- Moreover, all the outgrowths which I have said constitute the acantha are not of equal size in all the vertebrae, and Nature has done this with wonderful forethought.
- 1980, Renate Zauner, Speaking of Children's Posture Problems and the Injuries They Cause, page 55:
- Individual vertebral bodies (right) as seen from the side and from above. The acantha is the spiney projection on the right of each illustration: in the lower illustration the boney spinal canal is shown between the acantha and the vertebral body.
- 2005, Michael Foeldi, Roman Strossenreuther, Foundations of Manual Lymph Drainage, page 73:
- Rotary strokes or stationary circles in the direction of the flank / Alternate from the acantha of the vertebral column in the direction of the flank (medial to lateral)
-
Related terms
- acanthus