melaleuca

M3E1L1A1L1E1U1C3A1
US/ˌmɛləˈluːkə/

noun

Any member of the genus Melaleuca of shrubs and trees in the myrtle family.

UncommonScrabble 13

Meanings

nounmelaleuca (plural melaleucas)

plural melaleucas

  1. Any member of the genus Melaleuca of shrubs and trees in the myrtle family.

    [H]e passed on, upsetting nothing, completely unnoticed by the peewee birds and crows resting in the silent melaleuca trees and paperbark woodland […]

    2006, Alexis Wright, Carpentaria, Giramondo, published 2012, page 294
    1 more example

    From November to February, the usually sombre olive green bush is a palette of pink heath, cream and mauve melaleuca, gold hibbertias, snug on the ground, pale blue iris, the swashbuckling scarlet and orange blandfordia lily, and Hewardia tasmanica, the mountain purple iris.

    1973, Patsy Adam Smith, The Barcoo Salute, Adelaide: Rigby, page 29

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*melh₂-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*mélh₂ns
  3. Proto-Hellenic*mélans
  4. Ancient Greekμέλας (mélas)
  5. Proto-Indo-European*lewk-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*lewkós
  7. Proto-Hellenic*leukós
  8. Ancient Greekλευκός (leukós)
  9. Englishmelaleuca

Borrowed from Translingual Melaleuca.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 千層樹 /千层树
  • 千層樹 /千层树 (qiāncéngshù)any member of the genus Melaleuca
Finnish kaarnamyrtti
  • kaarnamyrttiany member of the genus Melaleuca
French melaleuca
  • melaleucaany member of the genus Melaleuca
Italian melaleuca
  • melaleucaany member of the genus Melaleuca
Japanese メラルーカ
  • メラルーカ (merarūka)any member of the genus Melaleuca
Russian ча́йное де́рево, мелале́ука
  • ча́йное де́рево (čájnoje dérevo)any member of the genus Melaleuca
  • мелале́ука (melaléuka)any member of the genus Melaleuca
Vietnamese tràm
  • tràmany member of the genus Melaleuca
Cite this entry
APA

melaleuca. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/melaleuca

MLA

“melaleuca.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/melaleuca. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “melaleuca,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/melaleuca.

Source: melaleuca on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.