thyrsus noun. ['Ɵǝ:sǝs] Pl. thyrsi ['Ɵǝ:sʌɪ, 'Ɵǝ:si:]. L16.
[Latin from Greek thursos stalk of a plant, Bacchic staff.]
1. Classical Antiquities. A staff or spear tipped with an ornament like a pine cone, carried by Bacchus and his followers. L16.

2. Botany. Any of several forms of inflorescence; spec. (a) a lax spike, as in some orchids; (b) a contracted kind of panicle, esp. one in which the individual branches form dichasia or monochasia, as in lilac and horse chestnut. E18.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲