any small leguminous tree of the genus Prosopis, esp the tropical American P. juliflora, whose sugary pods (mesquite beans) are used as animal fodder
Also called: algarroba, honey locust, honey mesquite
Word origin
C19: from Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl mizquitl
Mesquite in American English
(mɛˈskit)
city in NE Tex.: suburb of Dallas: pop. 125,000
Word origin
after the mesquite trees found there
mesquite in American English
(mɛˈskit; ˈmɛsˌkit), mesˈquit (mɛˈskit; ˈmɛsˌkit)
US
noun
any of several thorny trees or shrubs (genus Prosopis) of the mimosa family, common in the SW U.S. and in Mexico, including the screw bean: the sugary, beanlike, edible pods are used as fodder
Word origin
Sp mezquite < Nahuatl mizquitl
Examples of 'mesquite' in a sentence
mesquite
Winter fog supports thin ground cover and mesquite and little else.