From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Thyrsus \Thyr"sus\, noun; 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.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
noun
1: a dense flower cluster (as of the lilac or horse chestnut) in which the main axis is racemose and the branches are cymose [syn: {thyrse}] [also: {thyrsi} (pl)]
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