Caesalpiniaceae

plural noun

Caes·​al·​pin·​i·​a·​ce·​ae

-ˌpinēˈāsēˌē

in some classifications

: a large family of chiefly tropical shrubs and trees having a regular or slightly irregular corolla, the petals imbricated in the bud, and the fruit a legume, important genera being Caesalpinia, Cassia, Bauhinia, Tamarindus, and Copaifera

caesalpiniaceous

-ˈāshəs

adjective

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Caesalpinia, type genus + -aceae

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

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