greasewood

Etymology

grease +‎ wood

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɹiːswʊd/

Noun

greasewood (countable and uncountable, plural greasewoods)

1. Spiny shrubs containing oil, of the genus Sarcobatus, native to the United States.
   • 2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage 2007, p. 445:

     He worked his way north among the tall cactuses and greasewood, staying just out of sight of the railroad

2. Chamise.
3. Any of several other North American desert shrubs with glossy or resinous leaves, such as creosote bush