acacia

[ uh-key-shuh ]

noun

1. a small tree or shrub belonging to the genus Acacia, of the mimosa family, having clusters of small yellow flowers.
2. any of several other plants, as the locust tree.
3. gum arabic.

acacia

/ əˈkeɪʃə /

noun

1. See wattle
   any shrub or tree of the tropical and subtropical leguminous genus Acacia, having compound or reduced leaves and small yellow or white flowers in dense inflorescences See also wattle 1
2. See locust
   false acacia
   false acacia another name for locust locust
3. See gum arabic
   gum acacia
   gum acacia another name for gum arabic

Word History and Origins

Origin of acacia¹

1535–45; < Latin < Greek akakía Egyptian thorn

Word History and Origins

Origin of acacia¹

C16: from Latin, from Greek akakia, perhaps related to akē point

Example Sentences

A female doesn’t spin a web but shelters in a crevice, perhaps behind peeling bark on an acacia tree or under a slab of rock.

From Science News

The region, about a five-hour drive southeast from the Serengeti, is home to the Sukuma people, traditionally agropastoralists who raised livestock in the hilly grasslands of the region, dotted with acacia and oaklike miombo trees.

From Science News

At the low-impact end, giraffes munch acacia trees in protected parkland or stroll under baobab trees that are “sticking up like a giant broccoli,” Bond says.

From Science News

Weather-resistant acacia wood prevents rain, mold, or splintering damage, making it oceanside and humidity friendly.

From Popular-Science

Yes, female lac bugs—Kerria lacca—swarm in gigantic numbers, laying eggs on fig and acacia trees.

From Nautilus

The basic Acacia model, equipped with seven branches that have a combined capacity of 1.4 kilowatts, costs $100,000.

From The Daily Beast

In every direction there were wide skies, gold grass hills and acacia trees.

From The Daily Beast

Beyond the river, caramel plains rolled away to the distant horizon, spotted with acacia trees and slow-moving giraffe.

From The Daily Beast

We saw a small group of women and children under an acacia tree and my friend and I walked toward them.

From The Daily Beast

An early autumn sun lit up cobblestone streets, tall acacia trees, and handsome and nearly all decayed 19th-century buildings.

From The Daily Beast

She sat under the long drooping yellow sprays of her acacia-tree, her lap full of the pink Castilian roses, and dreamed.

From Project Gutenberg

This tree, as well as the drooping acacia, leaned over the ground with long leaves like disheveled hair.

From Project Gutenberg

We made the necessary bats and stumps out of hard acacia, which I cut down with my tomahawk.

From Project Gutenberg

The andubay, a kind of acacia, reaches a height of about 25 feet and is used for making fences and rafters.

From Project Gutenberg

When she had gone into the factory, I saw the acacia blossom, which had fallen on the ground between my feet.

From Project Gutenberg