Meaning & use
manuka
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
a small tree or bush with white or pink flowers that grows in New Zealand and Australia
Grammar: Countable when you mean a plant ('a manuka'), uncountable when you mean the plant in general or its wood.
Patterns
- manuka tree
- manuka bush
- manuka honey
Manuka grows well in poor soil and strong winds.
The hills were covered with manuka and other native bushes.
Bees collect nectar from manuka flowers to make manuka honey.
noununcountable
honey produced by bees that feed on manuka flowers, often sold as a health product
Grammar: Uncountable: say 'some manuka honey' or 'a jar of manuka honey', not 'a manuka'.
Patterns
- manuka honey
- a jar of manuka honey
She takes a spoonful of manuka honey every morning.
Manuka honey is often more expensive than other kinds of honey.
This shop sells manuka honey from New Zealand.
Word forms
| plural | manukas |
|---|
Common combinations
- manuka honey
- Manuka honey is famous for its strong, slightly bitter taste.
- manuka tree
- A manuka tree can grow several meters tall.
- manuka bush
- The path was lined with manuka bushes.
- manuka flowers
- Bees visit manuka flowers in the summer.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tea tree
- Tea tree is a related plant from Australia; the name is also used for the oil, so it is not exactly the same as manuka.
Commonly confused: manuka or mānuka?
manuka vs mānuka
The spelling with a macron (mānuka) shows the long vowel in Maori. Both spellings are used in English.
Practice
Manuka honey comes from bees that feed on ___.
Choose one answer.
Bees make honey from the nectar of flowers, so manuka flowers is the correct choice. The other parts of the plant do not produce nectar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “manuka”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.