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thyrsus |
1 definition found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Thyrsus \Thyr"sus\, n.; pl {Thyrsi}. [L., fr Gr ?. Cf {Torso}.] 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.
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