mes·quite [ me skt ](pluralmes·quite or mes·quites)
noun Southwestern U.S.
Definition:
1. mesquite wood: a hard wood often burned in a barbecue to flavor food
2. small spiny tree: a small spiny leguminous tree or bush with hard wood, the pods of which are sometimes used as fodder. Native to: southwestern United States, Mexico. Genus Prosopis.
[Mid-18th century. Via Mexican Spanish mezquite< Nahuatl mizquitl]
Regional History
Mesquite is common in Upper Mexico and the lower Southwestern states, especially in Texas, where such growth is also called chaparral, mesquite flat(s), mesquite thicket, and mesquital.
