Acacias

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  acacia \a*ca"cia\ ([.a]*k[=a]"sh[.a] or [.a]*k[=a]"sh[i^]*[.a]),
     n.; pl. E. {acacias} ([.a]*k[=a]"sh[.a]z), L. {acaciae}
     ([.a]*k[=a]"sh[i^]*[=e]). [L. from Gr. 'akaki`a; orig. the
     name of a thorny tree found in Egypt; prob. fr. the root ak
     to be sharp. See {Acute}.]
     1. [capitalized] A genus of leguminous trees and shrubs.


        Nearly 300 species are Australian or Polynesian, and have
        terete or vertically compressed leaf stalks, instead of
        the bipinnate leaves of the much fewer species of America,
        Africa, etc. Very few are found in temperate climates.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Med.) The inspissated juice of several species of acacia;
        -- called also {gum acacia}, and {gum arabic}. AS
        [1913 Webster] Acacin