Etymology

mallee

mal·lee
M3A1L1L1E1E1

Today it means: A type of scrubland with low-growing thick eucalypts, characteristic of certain parts of Australia. Full definition →

First used 19th c.Wemba-Wemba mali
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mallee · noun1

  1. Wemba-Wemba · borrowed frommali
  2. English todaymallee

Probably borrowed from Wemba-Wemba mali; compare Woiwurrung mali.

mallee · noun2

See mali.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 19th c. A type of scrubland with low-growing thick eucalypts, characteristic of certain parts of Australia.
  • from 19th c. Any semi-desert region of Australia where such scrub is the predominant vegetation.
  • from 19th c. Any of several low-growing eucalypts characteristic of such scrubland, especially Eucalyptus dumosa, Eucalyptus oleosa, and Eucalyptus socialis.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.