thyrsus Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a dense flower cluster (as of the lilac or horse chestnut) in which the main axis is racemose and the branches are cymose
    thyrse.

WordNet

Thyr"sus noun
Etymology
L., fr. Gr. . Cf. Torso.
Wordforms
plural Thyrsi
Definitions
  1. A staff entwined with ivy, and surmounted by a pine cone, or by a bunch of vine or ivy leaves with grapes or berries. It is an attribute of Bacchus, and of the satyrs and others engaging in Bacchic rites.
    A good to grow on graves As twist about a thyrsus. Mrs. Browning.
    In my hand I bear The thyrsus, tipped with fragrant cones of pine. Longfellow.
  2. (Bot.) A species of inflorescence; a dense panicle, as in the lilac and horse-chestnut.

Webster 1913