Adjacent Words

eucalyptus definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: wood of any of various eucalyptus trees valued as timber
2: a tree of the genus Eucalyptus [syn: eucalyptus, eucalypt, eucalyptus tree]

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural eucalypti or -tuses) Etymology: New Latin, genus name, from eu- + Greek kalyptos covered, from kalyptein to conceal; from the conical covering of the buds — more at hell Date: 1801 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

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (also eucalypt) (pl. eucalyptuses or eucalypti or eucalypts) 1 any tree of the genus Eucalyptus, native to Australasia, cultivated for its timber and for the oil from its leaves. 2 (in full eucalyptus oil) this oil used as an antiseptic etc. Etymology: mod.L f. EU- + Gk kaluptos covered f. kalupto to cover, the unopened flower being protected by a cap

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Red chalk. See under Chalk. Red copper (Min.), red oxide of copper; cuprite. Red coral (Zo["o]l.), the precious coral (Corallium rubrum). See Illusts. of Coral and Gorgonlacea. Red cross. The cross of St. George, the national emblem of the English. (b) The Geneva cross. See Geneva convention, and Geneva cross, under Geneva. Red currant. (Bot.) See Currant. Red deer. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The common stag (Cervus elaphus), native of the forests of the temperate parts of Europe and Asia. It is very similar to the American elk, or wapiti. (b) The Virginia deer. See Deer. Red duck (Zo["o]l.), a European reddish brown duck (Fuligula nyroca); -- called also ferruginous duck. Red ebony. (Bot.) See Grenadillo. Red empress (Zo["o]l.), a butterfly. See Tortoise shell. Red fir (Bot.), a coniferous tree (Pseudotsuga Douglasii) found from British Columbia to Texas, and highly valued for its durable timber. The name is sometimes given to other coniferous trees, as the Norway spruce and the American Abies magnifica and A. nobilis. Red fire. (Pyrotech.) See Blue fire, under Fire. Red flag. See under Flag. Red fox (Zo["o]l.), the common American fox (Vulpes fulvus), which is usually reddish in color. Red grouse (Zo["o]l.), the Scotch grouse, or ptarmigan. See under Ptarmigan. Red gum, or Red gum-tree (Bot.), a name given to eight Australian species of Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus amygdalina, resinifera, etc.) which yield a reddish gum resin. See Eucalyptus. Red hand (Her.), a left hand appaum['e], fingers erect, borne on an escutcheon, being the mark of a baronet of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; -- called also Badge of Ulster. Red herring, the common herring dried and smoked.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Eucalyptus Eu`ca*lyp"tus, n. [NL., from GR. ? well, good + ? covered. The buds of Eucalyptus have a hemispherical or conical covering, which falls off at anthesis.] (Bot.) A myrtaceous genus of trees, mostly Australian. Many of them grow to an immense height, one or two species exceeding the height even of the California Sequoia. Note: They have rigid, entire leaves with one edge turned toward the zenith. Most of them secrete resinous gums, whence they called gum trees, and their timber is of great value. Eucalyptus Globulus is the blue gum; E. gigantea, the stringy bark: E. amygdalina, the peppermint tree. E. Gunnii, the Tasmanian cider tree, yields a refreshing drink from wounds made in the bark in the spring. Other species yield oils, tars, acids, dyes and tans. It is said that miasmatic valleys in Algeria and Portugal, and a part of the unhealthy Roman Campagna, have been made more salubrious by planting groves of these trees.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bloodwood Blood"wood, n. (Bot.) A tree having the wood or the sap of the color of blood. Note: Norfolk Island bloodwood is a euphorbiaceous tree (Baloghia lucida), from which the sap is collected for use as a plant. Various other trees have the name, chiefly on account of the color of the wood, as Gordonia H[ae]matoxylon of Jamaica, and several species of Australian Eucalyptus; also the true logwood ({ H[ae]matoxylon campechianum}).

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(eucalyptuses or eucalyptus) A eucalyptus is an evergreen tree, originally from Australia, that is grown to provide wood, gum, and an oil that is used in medicines. N-VAR: oft N n