mi|mo|sa

mi|mo|sa «mih MOH suh, -zuh», noun.

1. a tree, shrub, or herb growing in warm regions, and usually having fernlike leaves and heads or spikes of small pink, yellow, or white flowers. The tropical American plant called the sensitive plant is a mimosa. Mimosas belong to the pea family.

2. = acacia. (Cf. ↑acacia)

3. the flower of any of these plants.

╂[< New Latin Mimosa the genus name < Latin mīmus mime (< Greek mîmos) + -ōsa, feminine -ose¹ (because it mimics animal reactions)]