mə̇ˈrīkə noun
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, tamarisk, from Greek myrikē, probably of Semitic origin; akin to the source of Greek myrrha myrrh — more at myrrh
: a large widely distributed genus (the type of a family Myricaceae) of aromatic shrubs having exstipulate leaves and ovary with 2 to 4 bractlets