mingimingin.
/ˈmɪŋ(ɡ)ɪmɪŋ(ɡ)i/, U.S. /ˈmɪŋ(ɡ)iˌmɪŋ(ɡ)i/, New Zealand English /ˈmiŋimiŋi/, /ˈmɪŋ(ɡ)ɪmɪŋ(ɡ)i/ New Zealand.
1. Any of several evergreen Australasian shrubs of or formerly belonging to the genus Cyathodes (family Epacridaceae), having small, leathery, sharply pointed leaves and tiny greenish-white flowers; esp. C. juniperina and Leucopogon fasciculatus, which have red or white berries.
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the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > shrubs > non-British shrubs > [noun] > Australasian > evergreens
Pimelea1793
epacris1805
tauhinu1848
mikimiki1858
mingi1867
mingimingi1867
cottonwood1889
wallum1889
Geraldton wax1920
epacrid-
1867 J. D. Hooker Handbk. N.Z. Flora II. 766/2 Mingimingi..Leucopogon fasciculatus.
1906 T. F. Cheeseman Man. N.Z. Flora 411 C[yathodes] acerosa... Abundant from the North Cape southwards. Sea-level to 2500 ft. Mingimingi.
1929 W. Martin N.Z. Nature Bk. II. viii. 126 The mingi-mingi..is a rigid, pungent-leaved shrub with either white or red berries.
1964 G. Dempsey Little World Stewart Island 73 Slim trunks of kamahi formed a background for prickly bushes of mingi-mingi.
1981 S. G. Brooker et al. N.Z. Medicinal Plants 51 Cyathodes juniperina..Maori names: Taumingi, tumingi, mingimingi.
2. Any of several evergreen New Zealand shrubs of the genus Coprosma (family Rubiaceae), with small leathery leaves and tiny greenish flowers; esp. C. propinqua, having translucent blue berries. Also: the wood of any of these shrubs.
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1868 W. L. Lindsay Contrib. N.Z. Bot. 72 The ‘Mingi-mingi’ [sc. Coprosma parviflora] of the Otago settler. The commonest form of the plant on exposed uplands is a smallish, stout, erect shrub.
1918 N.Z. Jrnl. Sci. & Technol. 1 143 Coprosma Cunninghamii... Mingimingi, yellow-wood.
1952 E. C. Richards Chatham Islands 60 [Coprosma] propinqua..Common Coprosma. Mingi-mingi... C. Cunninghamii..Mingi-mingi (twisted in grain).
1992 Dominion Sunday Times (Wellington) 26 July 21 There may be mingimingi showing blue or white fruit.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2002; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1867