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.

---

Etymology

Origin of cat's-claw

First recorded in 1750–60

Example Sentences

Kut-le strolled over to a cat's-claw bush at whose base lay a tangle of dead leaves.

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

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 Morrow, Honoré

"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 Morrow, Honoré

There's a man standing in that clump of cat's-claw ahead.

From McClure's Magazine, Vol. 31, No. 1, May 1908 by Various

There was little said after that until they came abreast of the cat's-claw near the road.

From McClure's Magazine, Vol. 31, No. 1, May 1908 by Various