no·pal (n?-päl?, n??p?l)n. pl. no·pal·es (-pä?l?s) also no·pals (-p?lz) 1. Any of various cacti having edible stems, especially the prickly pears.2. The fleshy, oval, edible pad of such a cactus.[American Spanish, from Nahuatl nohpalli.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.nopal (?n??p?l) n1. (Plants) any of various cactuses of the genus Nopalea, esp the red-flowered N. cochinellifera, which is a host plant of the cochineal insect2. (Plants) a cactus, Opuntia lindheimeri, having yellow flowers and purple fruits. See also prickly pear[C18: from Spanish, from Nahuatl nopálli cactus]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014no?pal (?no? p?l, no??p?l, -?pæl) n. 1. any of several cacti of the genus Nopalea, resembling the prickly pear. 2. the fruit of such a cactus. [1720?30;