'Thyrsus' definitions:

Definition of 'thyrsus'

noun

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, thyrsus]

From: GCIDE

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. [1913 Webster]
A good to grow on graves As twist about a thyrsus. --Mrs. Browning. [1913 Webster]
In my hand I bear The thyrsus, tipped with fragrant cones of pine. --Longfellow. [1913 Webster]
2. (Bot.) A species of inflorescence; a dense panicle, as in the lilac and horse-chestnut. [1913 Webster]