melaleuca

[ mel-uh-loo-kuh ]

/ ˌmɛl əˈlu kə /

noun

any of various chiefly Australian shrubs or trees belonging to the genus Melaleuca, of the myrtle family, including the cajeput and several species of bottlebrush.

Nearby words

mel, mela, melaena, melagra, melaka, melaleuca, melalgia, melamed, melamine, melamine resin, melammed

Origin of melaleuca

< New Latin (Linnaeus), irregular coinage from Greek mélā(s) black + leukḗ, feminine of leukós white; so called from its black trunk and white branches

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

Examples from the Web for melaleuca

Locality: Port Essington, on trunks of melaleuca trees (Macgillivray).
Voyage Of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Vol. 2 (of 2)|John MacGillivray
A new species of Melaleuca and also of Boronia were found, when entering upon the sandstone formation.
Journal of an Overland Expedition in Australia|Ludwig Leichhardt
The trees in this creek are melaleuca and gum, with some others.
Explorations in Australia, The Journals of John McDouall Stuart|John McDouall Stuart
A Melaleuca with very small decussate leaves, a tree about twenty-five feet high, was growing on the scrubby ridges.
Journal of an Overland Expedition in Australia|Ludwig Leichhardt

The Casuarina, which likes a light sandy soil, disappeared at the same time, and was succeeded by the narrow-leaved Melaleuca.
Journal of an Overland Expedition in Australia|Ludwig Leichhardt

British Dictionary definitions for melaleuca

melaleuca

/ (ˌmɛləˈluːkə) /

noun

any shrub or tree of the mostly Australian myrtaceous genus Melaleuca, found in sandy or swampy regions

Word Origin for melaleuca

C19: New Latin, from Greek melas black + leukos white, from its black trunk and white branches

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