eucalyptus

[ yoo-kuh-lip-tuh s ]

/ ˌyu kəˈlɪp təs /

noun, plural eu·ca·lyp·ti [yoo-kuh-lip-tahy] /ˌyu kəˈlɪp taɪ/, eu·ca·lyp·tus·es.

any of numerous often tall trees belonging to the genus Eucalyptus, of the myrtle family, native to Australia and adjacent islands, having aromatic evergreen leaves that are the source of medicinal oils and heavy wood used as timber.

Nearby words

Also eu·ca·lypt

[yoo-kuh-lipt] /ˈyu kəˌlɪpt/.

Origin of eucalyptus

1800–10; < New Latin < Greek eu- eu- + kalyptós covered, wrapped, akin to kalýptein to cover

Related formseu·ca·lyp·tic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for eucalyptus

The school was made up of low, Mission Revival–style buildings surrounded by redwoods and eucalyptus trees stirred by the wind.
Adventures with an Extreme Polyglot: Excerpt from 'Babel No More'|Michael Erard|January 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Physarella lusitanica Torrend is a globose form depressed above or betimes discoidal, occurring on Eucalyptus trees in Portugal.
The North American Slime-Moulds|Thomas H. (Thomas Huston) MacBride
“The giant gum, Eucalyptus amygdalina, is said to be the tallest tree in the world,” the gentleman replied.
The Land of the Kangaroo|Thomas Wallace Knox
Back of the platform the eucalyptus trees were now pale spectres, their leaves hanging nerveless in the still air.
The Gay Cockade|Temple Bailey

But his prize stunt was when he broke into 251 the real estate business and laid out Eucalyptus City.
Odd Numbers|Sewell Ford
A species of eucalyptus has been found in Australia as large or larger.
Birds and All Nature, Vol. VI, No. 2, September 1899|Various

British Dictionary definitions for eucalyptus

eucalyptus

eucalypt (ˈjuːkəˌlɪpt)

/ (ˌjuːkəˈlɪptəs) /

noun plural -lyptuses, -lypti (-ˈlɪptaɪ) or -lypts

any myrtaceous tree of the mostly Australian genus Eucalyptus, such as the blue gum and ironbark, widely cultivated for the medicinal oil in their leaves (eucalyptus oil), timber, and ornament

Word Origin for eucalyptus

C19: New Latin, from eu- + Greek kaluptos covered, from kaluptein to cover, hide

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for eucalyptus

eucalyptus

1809, from Modern Latin, coined 1788 by French botanist Charles Louis L'héritier de Brutelle (1746-1800) from Greek eu "well" (see eu-) + kalyptos "covered" (see Calypso); so called for the covering on the bud.