mesquite

¹ American  

[me-skeet, mes-keet] / mɛˈskit, ˈmɛs kit /

Or mesquit

noun

1. 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.

2. the wood of such a tree or shrub, used especially in grilling or barbecuing food.

3. any of various similar or related plants.

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Mesquite ² American  

[me-skeet, mi-] / mɛˈskit, mɪ- /

noun

1. a city in NE Texas, E of Dallas.

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mesquite British  

/ mɛˈskiːt, ˈmɛskiːt /

noun

1. Also called: algarroba.   honey locust.   honey mesquite.  any small leguminous tree of the genus Prosopis, esp the tropical American P. juliflora, whose sugary pods ( mesquite beans ) are used as animal fodder

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Etymology

Origin of mesquite

1830–40, < Mexican Spanish mezquite < Nahuatl mizquitl

Example Sentences

Birds sing among dense copses of mesquite trees; flowers hang heavily from bushes; ocelots and jaguars pass through.

From Slate • May 26, 2025

La Casa looms above a mostly flat landscape dotted with mesquite bushes.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 27, 2024

California’s groundwater-dependent ecosystems lie not only along streams, but also in habitats such as mountain meadows, coastal redwood forests and mesquite bushes among desert sand dunes.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2024

He’ll roll out a vertical spit to slow-roast a beehive of al pastor pork and a grill to sizzle up some mesquite aromatic beef tacos in the Northern Mexican tradition of Sonora and Nuevo León.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 28, 2024

Grassland, mesquite, scattered low shrubs, and bare rocky soil surrounded both sides of the border.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez