mulga

[ muhl-guh ]

/ ˈmʌl gə /

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noun, plural mul·gas, mul·ga.

an Australian shrub or small tree, Acacia aneura, forming dense growths in some areas and having foliage used as forage for livestock.

an object, as an Aboriginal shield or club, made from the wood of this tree.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of mulga

First recorded in 1830–40; from Yuwaalaraay (an Australian Aboriginal language spoken near Lightning Ridge, northern New South Wales) malga

Words nearby mulga

muleta, muleteer, mule train, muley, muley saw, mulga, Mulhacén, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Mulhouse, muliebrity, mulier

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mulga in a sentence

"I'd been away from home for eight years," said Mitchell to his mate, as they dropped their swags in the mulga shade and sat down.
While the Billy Boils|Henry Lawson
The country looks as though a great ash-heap had been spread out there, and mulga scrub and firewood planted—and neglected.
While the Billy Boils|Henry Lawson
Mulga scrub all round, and, in between, patches of reddish sand where the grass ought to be.
While the Billy Boils|Henry Lawson
The two travellers had yarned late in their camp, and the moon was getting low down through the mulga.
While the Billy Boils|Henry Lawson

Most that I have seen were made of mulga (acacia) hardened by fire.
Spinifex and Sand|David W Carnegie

British Dictionary definitions for mulga

mulga

/ (ˈmʌlɡə) /

noun Australian

any of various Australian acacia shrubs, esp Acacia aneura, which grows in the central desert regions and has leaflike leafstalks

scrub comprised of a dense growth of acacia

the outback; bush

Word Origin for mulga

from a native Australian language

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