tamarisk

[ tam-uh-risk ]

noun

1. any Old World tropical plant of the genus Tamarix, especially T. gallica, an ornamental Mediterranean shrub or small tree having slender, feathery branches.
2. a shrub or small tree, Tamarix chinensis, of Eurasia, having scalelike leaves and clusters of pink flowers, naturalized in the southwestern U.S., where it has become a troublesome weed.

tamarisk

/ ˈtæmərɪsk /

noun

1. any of various ornamental trees and shrubs of the genus Tamarix, of the Mediterranean region and S and SE Asia, having scalelike leaves, slender branches, and feathery clusters of pink or whitish flowers: family Tamaricaceae

Word History and Origins

Origin of tamarisk¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English tamariscus, from Late Latin, variant of Latin tamarīc-, stem tamarix; further origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of tamarisk¹

C15: from Late Latin tamariscus, from Latin tamarix

Example Sentences

He led across the Kuweik, through the orchards—dim and still, until at a tamarisk bush he halted.

From Project Gutenberg

He shot a man seven years ago—one of Perucca's men, of course, who was creeping up through the tamarisk trees.

From Project Gutenberg

That monument, surrounded by tamarisk bushes, above which its summit rises, bears upon it a memorial figure by Flaxman.

From Project Gutenberg

The tamarisk appears afterwards to have given the idea of a subdivision of leaf more pure and quaint than that of the acanthus.

From Project Gutenberg

The soft crack of a duck-gun came to their ears from far off among the tamarisk bushes beside the green-grey waters.

From Project Gutenberg