MESQUITE

[mes.quite] n [AmerSp, fr. Nahuatl mizquitl] (1759): any of several spiny leguminous trees or shrubs (genus Prosopis and esp. P. glandulosa) chiefly of the southwestern U.S. that often form extensive thickets and have sweet pods eaten by livestock; also: the wood of the mesquite used esp. in grilling food