[uh-key-shuh] 
| 1. | a small tree or shrub belonging to the genus Acacia, of the mimosa family, having clusters of small yellow flowers. |
| 2. | any of several other plants, as the locust tree. |
| 3. | gum arabic. |
| a water-soluble, gummy exudate obtained from the acacia tree, esp. Acacia senegal, used as an emulsifier, an adhesive, in inks, and in pharmaceuticals. |
| a·ca·cia (ə-kā'shə) n.
[Middle English, from Latin, from Greek akakia.] |
| gum arabic n. A gum exuded by various African trees of the genus Acacia, especially A. senegal, used in the preparation of pills and emulsions and the manufacture of mucilage and candies and in general as a thickener and colloidal stabilizer. Also called acacia. [gum1 + Arabic.] |
| gum arabic
A gum exuded by various African trees of the genus Acacia, especially A. senegal. Gum arabic is used in the preparation of pills and emulsions, in the manufacture of adhesives and candies, and as a thickener and stabilizer of colloids. Gum arabic consists mostly of a mixture of oligosaccharides and heavy glycoproteins. |
Acacia
(Heb. shittim) Ex. 25:5, R.V. probably the Acacia seyal (the gum-arabic tree); called the "shittah" tree (Isa. 41:19). Its wood is called shittim wood (Ex. 26:15,26; 25:10,13,23,28, etc.). This species (A. seyal) is like the hawthorn, a gnarled and thorny tree. It yields the gum-arabic of commerce. It is found in abundance in the Sinaitic peninsula.