acacia

American  

[uh-key-shuh] / əˈkeɪ ʃə /

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.

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acacia British  

/ əˈkeɪʃə /

noun

1. 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. another name for locust locust

3. another name for gum arabic

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Etymology

Origin of acacia

1535–45; < Latin < Greek akakía Egyptian thorn

Explanation

An acacia is a kind of tree or bush that grows in very warm climates. If you visit Australia, you're likely to see an acacia. Acacias are found in places like South America, Africa, and parts of Asia, though the majority of acacias grow in Australia. Many acacias have tiny leaves and are covered in thorns, although there are varieties that aren't thorny — still, the name itself comes from the Greek word akakia, "thorny Egyptian tree," probably rooted in ake, or "thorn."

Example Sentences

Elsewhere, what used to be roaming bands of Hadzabe men now work as village forest guards, tasked with patrolling vast scrub forests and acacia bushlands to look out for poachers, land grabbers and illegal loggers.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026

Vast stretches of a once-verdant acacia forest south of Sudan's capital Khartoum have been reduced to little more than fields of stumps as nearly three years of conflict have fuelled deforestation.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

Common examples include species of acacia, eucalyptus, poplar, and pine.

From Science Daily • Feb. 9, 2026

Amira's lowest moment came when a tyre burst as she was travelling through an acacia forest, leaving passengers stranded without any water.

From BBC • Aug. 27, 2025

Babi sat at the foot of a thick-trunked acacia tree reading a paperback.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini