acacia

noun

aca·​cia ə-ˈkā-shə How to pronounce acacia (audio)
1
[Middle English acacia, acacie "astringent gum made from the juice of green plums or sloes," borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French acasie, acacie "juice of plums or sloes," borrowed from Medieval Latin acacia, going back to Latin "gum arabic"] : gum arabic
2
: any of a large genus (Acacia) of leguminous shrubs and trees of warm regions with leaves pinnate or reduced to phyllodes and white or yellow flower clusters

Examples of acacia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The 13-inch platter is made of sturdy, water-resistant acacia wood. Lauren Taylor, Southern Living, 16 Feb. 2024 First, the big-headed ants outcompete native acacia ants in the genus Crematogaster. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 25 Jan. 2024 Weaver birds that nest in the canopy of acacia trees lose habitat, says Palmer. Popular Science, 25 Jan. 2024 Decades of hard, often Sisyphean conservation work have succeeded in showing the resilience of the savanna’s low acacia and fever trees, thorny shrubs, and monumental ancient baobabs. Christopher Cameron, Robb Report, 28 Nov. 2023 The affordable set comes with two handcrafted acacia wood salad servers perfect for serving a crowd. Moriah Mason, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2023 The acacia wood table is made of three wide planks, and measures 30.5 inches x 67 inches x 29.5 inches, while the benches on either side measure 59 inches x 10 inches. Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Dec. 2023 It’s made from sleek acacia wood, with a sliding top that opens up to reveal four stainless steel serving knives on the inside. Samantha Booth, Rolling Stone, 9 Nov. 2023 It’s made from acacia wood, and the removable lid can be used as a wooden cutting board. Amanda Ogle, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'acacia.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, going back to Latin, "a species of Acacia, gum arabic," borrowed from Greek akakía "a plant of the Acacia genus (probably A. nilotica), acacia extract" of obscure origin

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of acacia was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near acacia

Cite this Entry

“Acacia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acacia. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

acacia

noun
aca·​cia ə-ˈkā-shə How to pronounce acacia (audio)
1
2
: any of numerous shrubs and trees of the legume family that grow in warm areas and have white or yellow flower clusters

Medical Definition

acacia

noun
aca·​cia ə-ˈkā-shə How to pronounce acacia (audio)
1
capitalized : a genus of woody leguminous plants of warm regions having pinnate leaves and white or yellow flower clusters see catechu
2
: any of the genus Acacia of leguminous plants
3

More from Merriam-Webster on acacia

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!