Main Entry:

mes·quite

Pronunciation:

\mə-ˈskēt, me-\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

American Spanish, from Nahuatl mizquitl

Date:

1759

: any of several spiny leguminous trees or shrubs (genus Prosopis and especially P. glandulosa) chiefly of the southwestern United States that often form extensive thickets and have sweet pods eaten by livestock ; also : the wood of the mesquite used especially in grilling food

[mesquite illustration]