NYT Dictionary
MELALEUCA
/ˌmɛləˈluːkə/NounME-la-leu-came-la-leu-ca · 4 syllablesAdvanced/Professional
Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2025
Meaning
Any member of the genus Melaleuca of shrubs and trees in the myrtle family.
Etymology
Origin: Ancient Greek
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *melh₂-der. Proto-Indo-European *mélh₂ns Proto-Hellenic *mélans Ancient Greek μέλας (mélas) Proto-Indo-European *lewk- Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *lewkós Proto-Hellenic *leukós Ancient Greek λευκός (leukós) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-ā́ Ancient Greek -ᾱ (-ā) Ancient Greek -η (-ē) Translingual Melaleucabor. English melaleuca Borrowed from Translingual Melaleuca.
NYT Puzzle Appearances
No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2025.