mesquite

mes·quite

 (mĕ-skēt′, mə-)

n.

Any of various small spiny trees or shrubs of the genus Prosopis of the pea family, native to hot, dry regions chiefly of the Americas and important as a source of firewood, nectar for honeybees, and forage for cattle. The pods of most species are edible. Also called algaroba.

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[Spanish mezquite, from Nahuatl mizquitl.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

mesquite

(mɛˈskiːt; ˈmɛskiːt) or

mesquit

n

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

[C19: from Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl mizquitl]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

mes•quite

or mes•quit

(mɛˈskit, mɪ-)

n.

1. any of several usu. spiny trees or shrubs belonging to the genus Prosopis, of the legume family, as P. juliflora or P. glandulosa, of W North America, having bipinnate leaves and beanlike pods and often forming dense thickets.

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

[1830–40, Amer.; < Mexican Spanish mezquite < Nahuatl mizquitl]

Mes•quite

(mɛˈskit, mɪ-)

n.

a city in NE Texas, E of Dallas. 111,947.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

mesquite - any of several small spiny trees or shrubs of the genus Prosopis having small flowers in axillary cylindrical spikes followed by large pods rich in sugar mesquit genus Prosopis, Prosopis - genus of tropical or subtropical branching shrubs or trees: mesquite honey mesquite, Prosopis glandulosa, Western honey mesquite - thorny deep-rooted drought-resistant shrub native to southwestern United States and Mexico bearing pods rich in sugar and important as livestock feed; tends to form extensive thickets Prosopis juliflora, Prosopis juliiflora, algarroba - mesquite of Gulf Coast and Caribbean Islands from Mexico to Venezuela Prosopis pubescens, screwbean, screwbean mesquite, tornillo, screw bean - shrub or small tree of southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico having spirally twisted pods bush, shrub - a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems

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