macadamia

American  

[mak-uh-day-mee-uh] / ˌmæk əˈdeɪ mi ə /

noun

1. any Australian tree of the genus Macadamia, especially M. ternifolia, having whorled leaves and elongated clusters of pink flowers.

2. Also called macadamia nut. the edible, hard-shelled seed of this tree.

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macadamia British  

/ ˌmækəˈdeɪmɪə /

noun

1. any tree of the Australian proteaceous genus Macadamia , esp M. ternifolia, having clusters of small white flowers and edible nutlike seeds

2. the seed of this tree

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Etymology

Origin of macadamia

1900–05; < New Latin, named after John Macadam (died 1865), Australian chemist; see -ia

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

macadamia

Whenever Lori Ott from Saltsburg, Penn., visits family in Hawaii, she always tries to stock up on Japanese rice crackers and macadamia nuts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

A New York Wheels is a macadamia almond milk iced latte to go — “wheels” is the lingo the baristas there use for “to go.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

"Bees sustain native ecosystems and play a crucial role in agricultural crop production -- tropical native bees are vital pollinators for crops like macadamia nuts, avocados, mangos, and lychees."

From Science Daily ● Jun. 18, 2026

"For Kenya, it will be a big boost to certain subsectors such as avocado. The agriculture sector will benefit the most - macadamia nuts, coffee, tea and leather."

From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026

And as a reward for my first major acting role, I have a whole plate of chocolate-chip macadamia nut cookies to myself.

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements

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