melkboom, noun

/ˈmelkbʊəm//ˈmɛlkbʊəm/
Origin:
Afrikaans, South African DutchShow more Afrikaans (earlier South African Dutch), melk milk + boom tree.
Either of two species of tree exuding a milky latex when injured. a. The milk-bush (sense (a) see milk sense 2), Ficus cordata. b. The milkwood (sense (a) see milk sense 2), Sideroxylon inerme.
1917 R. Marloth Dict. of Common Names of Plants 57Melkboom, Ficus cordata...At the coast the same name applies to Sideroxylon inerme.
1957 L.G. Green Beyond City Lights 225An old melkboom gives shade, and under the tree you are more likely to find a wagon than a motor-lorry.
1966 C.A. Smith Common Names 335Melkboom, A name applied to several trees with milky latex in the bark and to nearly all the arborescent species of Euphorbia..; Sideroxylon inerme..; Ficus cordata.
1972 M.R. Levyns in Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. VII. 324Melkboom, (Ficus cordata.) Native fig-tree of the family Moraceae, with simple, cordate leaves.
1977 E. Palmer Field Guide to Trees of Sn Afr. 90Melkboom, Ficus cordata Thunb...The commonest species of fig from the Cedarberg northwards.
The milk-bush (sense (a) see milk sense 2), Ficus cordata.
The milkwood (sense (a) see milk sense 2), Sideroxylon inerme.
Entry Navigation

Visualise Quotations

Quotation summary

Senses

19171977

Browse Related Words

By Category

Trees

By Origin

Afrikaans
melee, nounn.melkbos, nounn.
Copyright © 2025 Dictionary Unit for South African English