: any of a genus (Eucalyptus) of mostly Australian evergreen trees or rarely shrubs of the myrtle family that have rigid entire leaves and umbellate flowers and are widely cultivated for their gums, resins, oils, and woods
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommends the use of oil of lemon eucalyptus as a more natural repellant. Chandra Fleming, Detroit Free Press, 8 Sep. 2022 The expansion is creating a skyline for the campus, which was once largely hidden behind eucalyptus trees. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2022 Attach a mixture of berries and eucalyptus to the wreath. Megan Boettcher, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Aug. 2022 Made from natural eucalyptus fibers and organic cotton, the blanket lives up to its name. Olivia O'bryon, Forbes, 4 Aug. 2022 Beyond the tub, Kendall also has a walk-in steam shower, decorated with eucalyptus. Giovana Gelhoren, Peoplemag, 20 Aug. 2022 Antibacterial eucalyptus clears away grime that can cause breakouts while clove leaf oil delivers a spa-level fragrance. Jasmine Washington, Seventeen, 16 Aug. 2022 The canoes travel lashed together in groups of three, their nets attached to long eucalyptus poles that project from the prows and the sterns like insect antennae. Nicola Twilley, The New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2022 For low-impact sports, this eucalyptus-colored set is just the ticket. Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 13 Aug. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from New Latin, genus name, from Greek eu-eu- + kalyptós "covered," verbal adjective of kalýptein "to cover, protect, conceal"; so named for the operculum that covers the developing buds — more at apocalypse
Note: The genus name was introduced by the French botanist Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle (1746-1800) in Sertum Anglicum, seu Plantae rariores quæ in hortis juxta Londinum, imprimis in Horto Regio Kewensi excoluntur (London, 1788), p. 11. According to E.V. Slee et al., EUCLID: Eucalypts of Australia, 3rd edition (online publication), the specimen of Eucalyptus obliqua which L'Héritier described in Kew Gardens had been procured in 1777 by the botanical collector David Nelson at Adventure Bay, Bruny Island, Tasmania, on James Cook's third voyage to the Pacific.