Mesquite
1 Americannoun
noun
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any of several usually spiny trees or shrubs belonging to the genus Prosopis, of the legume family, as P. juliflora or P. glandulosa, of western North America, having bipinnate leaves and beanlike pods and often forming dense thickets.
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the wood of such a tree or shrub, used especially in grilling or barbecuing food.
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any of various similar or related plants.
noun
Etymology
Origin of mesquite
1830–40, < Mexican Spanish mezquite < Nahuatl mizquitl
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hidden on Pico Boulevard behind no obvious sign and characterized by hood-free mesquite grills and stacked wine crates, the place exuded a secret charm.
From Los Angeles Times
It’s three miles from there to State Route 92, a trek through mesquite and grassland, floodplains and furrows that serve as a rough-hewn pathway to the two-lane blacktop and the interior that lies beyond.
From Los Angeles Times
Adding natural smoke flavorings derived from hickory or mesquite can also give alternative meats a similar aroma.
From Salon
La Casa looms above a mostly flat landscape dotted with mesquite bushes.
From Los Angeles Times
It would also go well with a grilled steak or another fatty meat with mesquite aroma.
From Seattle Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.