acacia

noun aca·cia \ ə-ˈkā-shə \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

[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

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Recent Examples of acacia from the Web

Garden tours have been a spring and summer season favorite seemingly since early hominids first descended from the trees of a West African savannah and started rearranging acacia trees in artful patterns.

— paul cappiello, The Courier-Journal, "Four must-see home and garden tours to experience in Louisville this spring," 12 Apr. 2018
Residents of La Presa, a community of 300 surrounding a bluish lake at the center of town that is hidden by mesquite and sweet acacia trees, buy bottled water for drinking.

— maria sacchetti, Washington Post, "In South Texas, tens of thousands live in border enclaves without water, power or certainty of their future," 30 Jan. 2018
The women, meanwhile, were tackling even weightier subjects under a nearby acacia tree, including birth control, the role of women in the village, and female genital mutilation.

— john gurda, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "East Africa proves rich in culture and wildlife on trip of a lifetime," 26 Jan. 2018
Upon detecting this gas, neighboring acacias start pumping tannins into their leaves.

— richard grant, Smithsonian, "Do Trees Talk to Each Other?," 22 Feb. 2018
The winemaker experimented with this, fermenting it in chestnut, acacia and French oak barrels, then blending it with wine in stainless-steel tanks.

— cleveland.com, "19 wines to try as National Drink Wine Day is coming up," 16 Feb. 2018
Leave a Note Adjacent to Kruger National Park, this three-lodge camp is surrounded by groves of acacia thornveld and marula trees on the Sand River.

— Condé Nast Traveler, "Singita Sabi Sand," 20 Oct. 2017
Leave a Note Gorgeously sited on a low grassland knoll among desert palms and Kalahari acacia, this camp in the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans comprises green canvas tents and a main canvas pavilion for communal meals.

— Condé Nast Traveler, "Jack's Camp," 22 Dec. 2017
Hiding in the bushes and in branches of acacia trees, snipers were training their rifles.

— drew hinshaw, WSJ, "Freedom for the World’s Most Famous Hostages Came at a Heavy Price," 24 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'acacia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of acacia

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

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First Known Use: 14th century

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