Adjacent Words

mimosa definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: evergreen Australasian tree having white or silvery bark and young leaves and yellow flowers [syn: silver wattle, mimosa, Acacia dealbata]
2: any of various tropical shrubs or trees of the genus Mimosa having usually yellow flowers and compound leaves
3: a mixed drink containing champagne and orange juice [syn: mimosa, buck's fizz]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: New Latin, from Latin mimus mime Date: circa 1731 1. any of a genus (Mimosa) of trees, shrubs, and herbs of the legume family that occur in tropical and warm regions and have usually bipinnate often prickly leaves and globular heads of small white or pink flowers 2. silk tree 3. a mixed drink consisting of champagne and orange juice

Britannica Concise

Any member of the more than 450 species that make up the genus Mimosa in the family Mimosaceae, native to tropical and subtropical areas throughout both hemispheres. Most are herbaceous plants or undershrubs; some are woody climbers; a few are small trees. They are often prickly. Mimosas are widely cultivated for the beauty of their foliage and for their interesting response to light and mechanical stimuli: the leaves of some species droop in response to darkness and close up their leaflets when touched. The name comes from this "mimicking" of animal sensibility. The roots of some species are poisonous; others contain skin irritants. Many acacias are commonly but incorrectly called mimosas. See also sensitive plant.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 any leguminous shrub of the genus Mimosa, esp. M. pudica, having globular usu. yellow flowers and sensitive leaflets which droop when touched. 2 any of various acacia plants with showy yellow flowers. Etymology: mod.L, app. f. L (as MIME, from being as sensitive as animals) + -osa fem. suffix

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mimosa Mi*mo"sa (?; 277), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? imitator. Cf. Mime.] (Bot.) A genus of leguminous plants, containing many species, and including the sensitive plants (Mimosa sensitiva, and M. pudica). Note: The term mimosa is also applied in commerce to several kinds bark imported from Australia, and used in tanning; -- called also wattle bark. --Tomlinson.