eucalyptus

noun

eu·​ca·​lyp·​tus ˌyü-kə-ˈlip-təs 

plural eucalypti ˌyü-kə-ˈlip-ˌtī  -ˌtē  or eucalyptuses

: any of a genus (Eucalyptus) of mostly Australian evergreen trees or rarely shrubs of the myrtle family that have rigid entire leaves and umbellate flowers and are widely cultivated for their gums, resins, oils, and woods

Examples of eucalyptus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Jinghong Artificial Eucalyptus Wreath $22 The eucalyptus trend continues with this gorgeous — and affordable — pick from Amazon. —Alida Nugent, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024

More frequent foggy days are no less beautiful, shrouding groves of cypress and eucalyptus in a moody fine mist. —Carey Jones, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Feb. 2024

Other highlights include formal gardens, ancient oaks, towering eucalyptus trees and rows of Italian cypresses. —James McClain, Robb Report, 29 Feb. 2024

Two Pomona College 19-year-olds heading to class were killed when a eucalyptus tree slammed into their sport utility vehicle. —Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024

The forests of Los Cerros Orientales, a mountain range just east of Bogotá, contain several invasive and fire-prone plant species, including eucalyptus trees and Pinus oocarpa, a pine tree native to Mexico and Central America. —Quentin Septer, Scientific American, 16 Feb. 2024

The most memorable was Woods hitting a shank from the middle of the 18th fairway and then the same club — 8-iron — to squeeze a shot through a small opening in the eucalyptus trees and onto the green. —Doug Ferguson, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2024

The winds also blew down an 80-foot eucalyptus tree onto the roof of a home near Scotia Avenue in the Oakland hills, as well as a similar-sized eucalyptus tree in San Francisco. —Rick Hurd, The Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2024

Choosing, say, cooling fabrics like eucalyptus or linen can be the difference between sleeping sweat-free and waking up drenched in sweat to falling asleep within 15 minutes of your head hitting the pillow. —Anamaria Glavan, Allure, 16 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, genus name, from Greek eu- eu- + kalyptós "covered," verbal adjective of kalýptein "to cover, protect, conceal"; so named for the operculum that covers the developing buds — more at apocalypse

Note: The genus name was introduced by the French botanist Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle (1746-1800) in Sertum Anglicum, seu Plantae rariores quæ in hortis juxta Londinum, imprimis in Horto Regio Kewensi excoluntur (London, 1788), p. 11. According to E.V. Slee et al., EUCLID: Eucalypts of Australia, 3rd edition (online publication), the specimen of Eucalyptus obliqua which L'Héritier described in Kew Gardens had been procured in 1777 by the botanical collector David Nelson at Adventure Bay, Bruny Island, Tasmania, on James Cook's third voyage to the Pacific.

First Known Use

1801, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

eucalyptus

noun

eu·​ca·​lyp·​tus ˌyü-kə-ˈlip-təs 

plural eucalypti -ˌtī 

-ˌtē

or eucalyptuses

: any of a genus of mostly Australian evergreen trees of the myrtle family including many that are widely cultivated for their gums, resins, oils, and useful woods

Medical Definition

eucalyptus

noun

eu·​ca·​lyp·​tus ˌyü-kə-ˈlip-təs 

1

capitalized : a genus of mostly Australian evergreen trees or rarely shrubs of the myrtle family that have rigid entire leaves and umbellate flowers and are widely cultivated for their gums, resins, oils, and useful woods

2

plural eucalypti -ˌtī  -ˌtē  or eucalyptuses : any tree or shrub of the genus Eucalyptus

eucalyptus adjective