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Glite Dictionary
pitahaya cactus

pitahaya cactus

9.3
A cactus that grows in dry places and makes a sweet, juicy fruit people eat
  • noun
  • /ˌpɪtəˈhaɪə ˈkæktəs/
  • US
translation icon : cactus pitahaya
  • The pitahaya cactus thrives in arid deserts, producing beautiful flowers and sweet fruit.

Examples

  • You can identify a pitahaya cactus by its thick stems and bright, spiky fruit.

  • Farmers in northern Mexico cultivate the pitahaya cactus for both its fruit and ornamental value.

  • The pitahaya cactus thrives in arid climates.

  • I saw a pitahaya cactus in Arizona.

  • Farmers in northern Mexico cultivate the pitahaya cactus for both its fruit and ornamental value.

  • The pitahaya cactus thrives in arid deserts, producing beautiful flowers and sweet fruit.

  • You can identify a pitahaya cactus by its thick stems and bright, spiky fruit.

Synonyms

pitahaya
vspitahaya cactus
  • US
9.7

A cactus that grows in dry places and makes a sweet fruit

is the same in meaning but includes the common noun for clarity

How Big

saguaro
  • US
5 8.7
pitahaya cactus
  • US
9.3
cactus
69 1.8

Surface Forms

pitahaya cactus singular
pitahaya cactuses plural
pitahaya cacti plural

Morphology

pitahaya + cactus

The phrase is fully compositional: 'pitahaya' names a particular cactus species and 'cactus' names the plant type, so combining them yields the expected meaning of a cactus species with edible fruit. This follows a standard noun+noun naming pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand the MWE.

Etymology

Pitahaya cactus comes from the local name pitahaya for the bright, scaly 'fruit' the plant makes. Picture a cactus that grows a big, juicy 'pitahaya'—that's why the name means the cactus that gives this tasty fruit.