EUCALYPTUS

[eu.ca.lyp.tus] n, pl -ti or -tus.es [NL, genus name, fr. eu- + Gk kalyptos covered, fr. kalyptein to conceal; fr. the conical covering of the buds--more at hell] (1801): 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