melaleuca

[mel-uh-loo-kuh]

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.

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. 2018

Examples from the Web for melaleuca

Historical Examples of melaleuca

The trees in this creek are melaleuca and gum, with some others.
Explorations in Australia, The Journals of John McDouall Stuart
John McDouall Stuart
The soil was excellent, and the brushes behind us abounded with a new species of melaleuca.
Two Expeditions into the Interior of Southern Australia, Complete
Charles Sturt
From the Malay words kayu, wood; and putih, oil; the useful oil obtained from the Melaleuca leucadendron.
The Sailor's Word-Book
William Henry Smyth
Clumps of melaleuca occurred at intervals, and at a distance appeared like low hills.
Journals of Australian Explorations
A C and F T Gregory
The country generally was more open, with grassy box-flats; melaleuca scrubs less frequent.
Journals of Australian Explorations
A C and F T Gregory

British Dictionary definitions for melaleuca

melaleuca

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