locust tree Meaning, Definition & Usage

Lo"cust tree`

Etymology

Etymol. uncertain.

Definitions

1. (Bot.) A large North American tree of the genus Robinia (R. Pseudacacia), producing large slender racemes of white, fragrant, papilionaceous flowers, and often cultivated as an ornamental tree. In England it is called acacia. ✍ The name is also applied to other trees of different genera, especially to those of the genus Hymenæa, of which H. Courbaril is a lofty, spreading tree of South America; also to the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua), a tree growing in the Mediterranean region.