casuarina
/ˌkæsu.əˈɹiːnə/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.96 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
5
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Any of numerous trees, of the genera Casuarina and Allocasuarina, having segmented needle-like leaves; especially the ironwood and beefwood; she-oak.
name
A locality in the Tweed council area, north eastern New South Wales, Australia.
Example Sentences
- "1894, Ivan Dexter, Talmud: A Strange Narrative of Central Australia, published in serial form in Port Adelaide News and Lefevre's Peninsula Advertiser (SA), Chapter III, http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks16/1600641.txt […] the noise made by the beating of the waves on the land and the sighing of the wind amongst the pendulous leaves—or rather pendant fringe of the casuarina or she-oak, those aeolian harps of the Australian bush, almost drowned their voices."
- "Lower down, in a little reach of the lagoon there grew a clump of casuarinas, those timid isolates that withdraw from other trees, selecting their own privacy, which is for ever whispering secrets up in their feathery fronds, set in motion by the slightest breeze."
Etymology
From the genus name, ultimately a derivative of Malay kasuari (“cassowary”), from the resemblance of the leaves to the bird's feathers.