acacia

acacia
    n 1: any of various spiny trees or shrubs of the genus Acacia
    

Locust tree \Lo"cust tree`\n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Bot.)
   A large North American tree of the genus {Robinia} ({Robinia
   Pseudacacia}), producing large slender racemes of white,
   fragrant, papilionaceous flowers, and often cultivated as an
   ornamental tree. In England it is called {acacia}.
   [1913 Webster]

   Note: The name is also applied to other trees of different
         genera, especially to those of the genus {Hymen[ae]a},
         of which {Hymen[ae]a Courbaril} is a lofty, spreading
         tree of South America; also to the carob tree
         ({Ceratonia siliqua}), a tree growing in the
         Mediterranean region.
         [1913 Webster]

   {Honey locust tree} (Bot.), a tree of the genus {Gleditschia}
      ) {Gleditschia triacanthus}), having pinnate leaves and
      strong branching thorns; -- so called from a sweet pulp
      found between the seeds in the pods. Called also simply
      {honey locust}.

   {Water locust tree} (Bot.), a small swamp tree ({Gleditschia
      monosperma}), of the Southern United States.
      [1913 Webster]
    

Acacia \A*ca"ci*a\, n. (Antiq.)
   A roll or bag, filled with dust, borne by Byzantine emperors,
   as a memento of mortality. It is represented on medals.
   [1913 Webster]
    

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
    

Acacia
(Heb. shittim) Ex. 25:5, R.V. probably the Acacia seyal (the
gum-arabic tree); called the "shittah" tree (Isa. 41:19). Its
wood is called shittim wood (Ex. 26:15,26; 25:10,13,23,28,
etc.). This species (A. seyal) is like the hawthorn, a gnarled
and thorny tree. It yields the gum-arabic of commerce. It is
found in abundance in the Sinaitic peninsula.