cajeput

or caj·a·put, caj·u·put

[ kaj-uh-puht, -poot ]

noun

1. a tree, Melaleuca leucadendron, of the myrtle family, native to Australia and New Guinea, having papery bark and yielding a greenish, aromatic oil cajeputoil used in medicine and perfumes.

cajeput

/ ˈkædʒəˌpʊt /

noun

1. a variant spelling of cajuput

Word History and Origins

Origin of cajeput¹

< New Latin cajuputi < Dutch kajoe-poetih ( -olie ) < Malay kayu putih the cajeput tree ( kayu white + putih tree)

Example Sentences

For example, there have been suggestions that you should drink or inhale cajeput oil, a plant-derived oil usually used to treat skin irritations, to prevent coronavirus.

From BBC

This tree is known in different localities by a variety of names, such as "spice-bush," "balm of heaven," "sassafras laurel," "cajeput," "California bay-tree," "California olive," "mountain laurel," and "California laurel."

From Project Gutenberg

Spī′cer, one who seasons with spice; Spī′cery, spices in general: a repository of spices: spiciness; Spice′-tree, an evergreen tree of the Pacific United States, yielding a fine hard wood—the Mountain-laurel, California-laurel, Olive- or Bay-tree, and Cajeput; Spice′-wood, the spice-bush.

From Project Gutenberg

The real terror of the Everglades is Australia's Melaleuca quinquenervia, also known as cajeput, punk tree and paperbark tree.

From Time Magazine Archive

We made a saturated solution of camphor in brandy, and gave a teaspoonful of it on moist sugar for a dose, adding three drops of Kayu Puteh oil, extracted from a Borneon wood and called cajeput oil in England, a very strong aromatic medicine.

From Project Gutenberg