What is "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.

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.

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.

1540s, from Latin acacia, from Greek akakia "thorny Egyptian tree," perhaps related to Greek ake "point, thorn," from PIE root *ak- "sharp" (see acrid). Or perhaps a Hellenization of some Egyptian word. From late 14c. in English as the name of a type of gum used as an astringent, etc.

Etymology 1 n. 1 (context countable English) A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae. (First attested around 1350 to 1470.)Brown, Lesley, ed. ''The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary.'' 5th. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. 2 (context uncountable pharmacy English) The thickened or dried juice of several species in Acacieae, in particular (taxlink Acacia nilotica species noshow=1), the (vern lang=en Egyptian acacia). (First attested around 1350 to 1470.)Brown, Lesley, ed. ''The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary.'' 5th. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. 3 A false acacia; (vern: robinia tree), ''Robinia pseudoacacia''. (First attested in the mid 17th century.) 4 (context uncountable English) gum arabic; gum acacia. (First attested in the early 19th century.) 5 (qualifier: loosely) Any of several related trees, such as the locust. 6 A light to moderate greenish yellow with a hint of red.(colour panel: E3D733) Etymology 2

n. (context history classical studies English) A roll or bag, filled with dust, borne by Byzantine emperors, as a memento of mortality. It is represented on medals.

n. any of various spiny trees or shrubs of the genus Acacia

Acacia Fraternity (Ακακία) is a social fraternity founded at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The fraternity has 30 active chapters and 4 colonies throughout Canada and the United States. Membership was originally restricted to those who had taken the Masonic obligations, but in 1933 the International Conclave elected to dispense with the Masonic prerequisite. In 1988, at the 45th Conclave, the fraternity elected to use "International" rather than "National" when referring to the fraternity.

Acacia is a 2003 South Korean horror film, directed by Park Ki-hyung and starring Shim Hye-jin and Kim Jin-geun. A re-release in 2011 changed the title to 'Root of Evil'.

Racosperma (from ancient Greek rhakos, "ragged" or rhakodes, "wrinkled" and sperma, "seed"), commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a monophyletic genus of 981 species of Acacia s.l., in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. All but 10 of its species are native to Australia, where it constitutes the largest plant genus. A number of species have been introduced to various parts of the world, and two million hectares of commercial plantations have been established. The heterogeneous group varies considerably in habit, from mat-like subshrubs to canopy trees in forest. The genus was first described from Africa by C. F. P. von Martius in 1829. Several hundred combinations in Racosperma were published by Pedley in 2003.

Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees of Gondwanian origin, belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae. (Not to be confused with akasha.)

It has also on occasion been used as the common name, or part of the common name, of other closely related plants, such as some species of Robinia, Vachellia, and Acacia sensu lato.

Acacia may also refer to:

• Acacia (band), a British pop band from the 1990s
• Acacia (film), a 2003 South Korean horror film
• Acacia: The War with the Mein, a novel by American author David Anthony Durham
• Acacia Avenue, a placeholder name for an English suburban road
• Acacia (fraternity), a social fraternity based on Masonic traditions
• Acacia Prison, a private prison in Western Australia
• Acacia Research, a patent enforcement entity
• Gum acacia, another name for Gum arabic
• USCGC ACACIA (WLB-406)
• USS Acacia, a steam-powered tugboat in the service of the United States Navy during the American Civil War
• 2S3 Akatsiya, Russian for acacia, a Soviet 152.4 mm self-propelled artillery

Acacia was a multi-cultural British experimental pop band active during the mid-1990s. The band is most notable for helping to launch the subsequent musical careers of several of its members, most notably keyboard player/producer Guy Sigsworth, singer Alexander "Blackmoth" Nilere and associate vocalist Imogen Heap (later a solo artist, half of Frou Frou and a collaborator with Urban Species and Jeff Beck). Though never commercially successful, Acacia attracted a good deal of underground attention during their existence and were notable for their eclectic musical approach and for Nilere's unorthodox, polysexual image.

Other musicians who played with Acacia were drummer Eshan Khadaroo ( Cirque Du Soleil, Blue Man Group, Psapp, Bow Wow Wow), guitarists Luca Ramelli and Maurizio Anzalone, and percussionist/world instrument player Ansuman Biswas (better known as a performance poet). Talvin Singh was also a member during the early days of the group.

The band should not be confused with the Detroit-based techno artist Acacia a.k.a. Kelli Hand.

Acacia ( or ) is a monophyletic genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, commonly known as thorn trees or shittah trees. The genus name is derived via Latin from ancient Greek . It was the name used by Theophrastus and Dioscorides to denote thorn trees, the word root being or , meaning "thorn" and "point" respectively. Before discovery of the New World, Europeans in the Mediterranean region were familiar with several species of Acacia, which they knew as sources of medicine, and had names for them that they inherited from the Greeks and Romans.

The wide-ranging genus occurs in a variety of open, tropical to subtropical habitats, and is locally dominant. In parts of Africa, Acacias are shaped progressively by grazing animals of increasing size and height, such as gazelle, gerenuk and giraffe. The genus in Africa has thus developed thorns in defence against such herbivory.