wait-a-bit

English

Etymology 1

From Afrikaans wag-'n-bietjie.

Noun

wait-a-bit (plural wait-a-bits)

1. Any of certain plants with sharp hooked thorns found in southern and eastern Africa.
   1. (South Africa) One of numerous acacias and mimosas and relatives.
      1. Senegalia brevispica (wait-a-bit acacia)
      2. Biancaea decapetala (syn. Caesalpinia decapetala, Mauritius thorn, Mysore thorn)
   2. Ziziphus mucronata (buffalo thorn, Cape thorn)
   3. The grapple plant (Uncarina leptocarpa).
   4. Asparagus spp. of South Africa (Asparagus capensis, Asparagus suaveolens, Asparagus burchellii, Asparagus mariae, Asparagus flavicaulis, Asparagus spinescens)

Etymology 2

From the delay caused by the recurved thorns.

Noun

wait-a-bit (plural wait-a-bits)

1. Certain thorny shrubs and trees of North America
   1. The common prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum).
   2. The greenbrier (Smilax spp., esp. Smilax rotundifolia)
   3. Any of various species of hawthorn (Crataegus crus-galli, etc.).
   4. Mimosa aculeaticarpa (catclaw mimosa, wait-a-minute bush), of southwestern US and northern Mexico.
   5. Senegalia greggii (catclaw acacia), of southwestern US and northern Mexico.

See also

• wait-a-minute
• wait-a-while

References

• wait-a-minute tree on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “wait-a-bit”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.