Tamarisks

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Shrubs or small trees with slender feathery branches and tiny pink or white flowers, often found in salty or arid soils near coasts
2. Hardy desert and coastal plants of the genus Tamarix whose fine, scale-like leaves and delicate flower clusters give them a wispy look
3. Feathery-leaved woody plants that tolerate salt and drought, commonly grown as windbreaks or ornamental hedges in dry regions

Etymology: "Tamarisks" is the plural of "tamarisk", a shrub or small tree with feathery foliage and pink or white flowers, native to dry regions of Eurasia and Africa. The English noun comes from Late Latin "tamariscus", which was itself derived from the Classical Latin "tamarix", the name of the same plant. Both forms passed into English directly from Latin rather than through French, so the word kept the shape of its Latin source closely.

Synonyms: salt cedar