mahala mat

[ muh-hal-uh ]

noun

1. a prostrate evergreen shrub, Ceanothus prostratus, of the buckthorn family, native to the Pacific coast of the United States, having wedge-shaped, spiny-edged leaves and blue flowers.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mahala mat¹

An Americanism first recorded in 1905–10; from Yokuts mahala “Indian woman”; Yokuts; compare mokʰe·lo ( Chawchila dialect ) “woman,” moxelo ( Yawelmani dialect ) “old woman”