mesquite

mes·quite | \ mə-ˈskēt

, me- \

Definition of mesquite

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

Mesquite

geographical name

Mes·quite | \ mə-ˈskēt

, me- \

Definition of Mesquite (Entry 2 of 2)

city in northeastern Texas east of Dallas population 139,824

Examples of mesquite in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The road near the Agua Caliente ghost town is lined with dead mesquite trees. — AZCentral.com, "Megafarms and deeper wells are draining the water beneath rural Arizona – quietly, irreversibly," 5 Dec. 2019 The road north was flat and straight through the fields of mesquite and tall grass, sparsely inhabited, only a few roadside villages and very few other cars. — Paul Theroux, New York Times, "Paul Theroux’s Mexican Journey," 23 Sep. 2019 By day, the courtyard’s mesquite smoke and Champagne corks set the mood. — Chris Malloy, Condé Nast Traveler, "An Ambitious Culinary Resort Has Landed in Arizona’s High Desert," 30 Oct. 2019 Until recently, the area around Brittany Heights had been mostly farmland, and there remained a patchwork of alfalfa fields alongside open ranges scruffy with mesquite and coyotes. — Bianca Bosker, The Atlantic, "Why Everything Is Getting Louder," 8 Oct. 2019 His home is about 20 miles from downtown Odessa, on an unmarked caliche road off of the Kermit Highway, amid nodding pump jacks and property covered with sage, mesquite and huisache trees. — John Maccormack, ExpressNews.com, "Odessa gunman lived in a dirt-floor shack and once confronted neighbor while carrying a rifle," 2 Sep. 2019 Gil-Najarro cooks his standard 3-pound chickens at around 400 degrees for about an hour in his pit, using a blend of hardwood mesquite charcoal that can be found easily at area grocery stores and meat markets. — Chuck Blount, ExpressNews.com, "How to make Peruvian chicken on your grill at home," 26 Aug. 2019 The garden features palo verde, cottonwood and mesquite trees. — Connie Cone Sexton, azcentral, "10 best shade spots to escape the blistering Phoenix heat," 30 July 2014 Bowen, who had lived in South Carolina before joining the agency, was assigned to the Border Patrol station in Nogales, an outpost in the hill country of southern Arizona, where scrubby mesquite and paloverde trees stud the rugged landscape. — A.c. Thompson, ProPublica, "“Dirtbag,” “Savages,” “Subhuman”: A Border Agent’s Hateful Career and the Crime That Finally Ended It," 16 Aug. 2019

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

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Last Updated

11 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Mesquite.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mesquite. Accessed 13 December 2019.

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More Definitions for mesquite

mesquite

noun

English Language Learners Definition of mesquite

: a tree or bush that grows in the southwestern U.S. and Mexico and that has a hard wood which is often used in grilling food because of the special flavor produced by its smoke also : the wood of the mesquite

See the full definition for mesquite in the English Language Learners Dictionary

mesquite

noun

mes·quite | \ mə-ˈskēt