araucaria

noun ar·au·car·ia \ ˌa-ˌrȯ-ˈka-rē-ə \

Definition of araucaria

: any of a genus (Araucaria of the family Araucariaceae, the araucaria family) of South American or Australian coniferous trees that resemble pines and are often grown as ornamentals; especially : monkey puzzle

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araucarian

play \-ē-ən\ adjective

Origin and Etymology of araucaria

borrowed from New Latin, from Araucānus araucanian (borrowed from Spanish araucano) + -āria ¹-ary

Note: Genus name introduced by the French botanist Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in Genera plantarum secundum ordines naturales disposita (Paris, 1789), pp. 413-14. Jussieu adapted the name from Juan Ignacio Molinaʼs Saggio sulla storia naturale del Chili (Bologna, 1782): "Il Pehuen, Pinus Araucana … nasce spontaneamente presso gli Araucani, e si coltiva nelle altre parti del Regno" ("The Pehuen, Pinus Araucana … grows naturally near the Araucanians, and is cultivated in the other parts of the country") (p. 182).

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1806

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year