Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Lecythis \Lec"y*this\ (l[e^]s"[i^]*th[i^]s), n. [NL., fr. Gr. 3
   an oil flask.] (Bot.)
   A genus of gigantic trees, chiefly Brazilian, of the order
   {Myrtace[ae]}, having woody capsules opening by an apical
   lid. {Lecythis Zabucajo} yields the delicious sapucaia nuts.
   {L. Ollaria} produces the monkey-pots, its capsules. Its bark
   separates into thin sheets, like paper, used by the natives
   for cigarette wrappers.