araucaria

American  

[ar-aw-kair-ee-uh] / ˌær ɔˈkɛər i ə /

noun

1. any of several coniferous trees of the genus Araucaria, of warm regions.

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araucaria British  

/ ˌærɔːˈkɛərɪə /

noun

1. any tree of the coniferous genus Araucaria of South America, Australia, and Polynesia, such as the monkey puzzle and bunya-bunya

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Other Word Forms

• araucarian adjective

Etymology

Origin of araucaria

1825–35; < New Latin, named after Arauc ( o ) province in central Chile; -aria

Example Sentences

Back on the black volcanic field crossed by the Truful Truful, as a snowstorm approached a nearby peak with thousand-year-old araucaria trees, Curin defined his people’s goal in more essential terms.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 19, 2022

As DePalma worked around the paddlefish, more of the araucaria branch came to light, including its short, spiky needles.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 29, 2019

As more of it was exposed, we could clearly see that the fish’s two-foot-long snout had broken when it was forced—probably by the flood’s surge—against the branches of a submerged araucaria tree.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 29, 2019

And they don't have the flamboyant crowns of the araucaria.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2015

The araucaria is, I think, the most beautiful of all formal decorative plants.

From Gardening Indoors and Under Glass A Practical Guide to the Planting, Care and Propagation of House Plants, and to the Construction and Management of Hotbed, Coldframe and Small Greenhouse by Rockwell, F. F. (Frederick Frye)