cat's-claw

American  

[kats-klaw] / ˈkætsˌklɔ /

noun

1. a spiny shrub or small tree, Pithecellobium unguis-cati, of Central America, having greenish-yellow flowers and reddish, spirally twisted pods.

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Etymology

Origin of cat's-claw

First recorded in 1750–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cat's-claw

As Havasu Creek is lined with willows that are admirably adapted for basket-making, and as an abundant supply of martynia, or cat's-claw, is found on the plateaus above, this Canyon is a veritable basket-makers' paradise.

From The Grand Canyon of Arizona; how to see it by George Wharton James

Now and then they would find a piece of his clothing and see places where he had run into the fox-tail cactus, cat's-claw and other thorny bushes.

From Life of Heber C. Kimball, an Apostle The Father and Founder of the British Mission by Orson F. Whitney

Besides these food plants of the desert, we have the cat's-claw, mesquite and cholla shrubs for fuel; the bear-grass and yuccas for camp-building.

From Grace Harlowe's Overland Riders on the Great American Desert by Jessie Graham [pseud.] Flower

"Make as if you wanted to shift your blankets toward the cat's-claw bush behind you!" went on the whispered voice.

From The Heart of the Desert Kut-Le of the Desert by Honoré Morrow

Then she crept around the cat's-claw, where a man squatted, his eyes blazing with excitement.

From The Heart of the Desert Kut-Le of the Desert by Honoré Morrow