eucalyptus

noun

eu·​ca·​lyp·​tus ˌyü-kə-ˈlip-təs How to pronounce eucalyptus (audio)
plural eucalypti ˌyü-kə-ˈlip-ˌtī How to pronounce eucalyptus (audio) -ˌtē How to pronounce eucalyptus (audio) 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
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Cranberry & Eucalyptus Bright and refreshing, this fragrance layers juicy cranberry with calming eucalyptus and a touch of spice. Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2025 Use just one to three large informal dahlias with smaller additions like spray roses, cosmos, eucalyptus, or larkspur. Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Oct. 2025 Take your pick between five scents, including eucalyptus, olibanum, santal, hinoki and fragrance-free. Caitlyn Martyn May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2025 California’s delegation planted a eucalyptus tree. Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 27 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for eucalyptus

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of eucalyptus was in 1801

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Cite this Entry

“Eucalyptus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eucalyptus. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

eucalyptus

noun
eu·​ca·​lyp·​tus ˌyü-kə-ˈlip-təs How to pronounce eucalyptus (audio)
plural eucalypti -ˌtī How to pronounce eucalyptus (audio)
-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 How to pronounce eucalyptus (audio)
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 How to pronounce eucalyptus (audio) -ˌtē How to pronounce eucalyptus (audio) or eucalyptuses : any tree or shrub of the genus Eucalyptus
eucalyptus adjective

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