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Glite Dictionary
Drimys winteri

Drimys winteri

9.9
A tree from South America with soft light wood and bark used as medicine
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Drimys winteri
  • The bark of Drimys winteri was once used as a remedy against scurvy.

Examples

  • The wood from Drimys winteri is valued for its softness and lightness.

  • Did you know that Drimys winteri is also called winter's bark?

  • Botanists recently discovered a mature Drimys winteri in the rainforest.

  • The Drimys winteri tree is known for its aromatic bark.

  • The bark of Drimys winteri is often harvested for its medicinal properties.

  • Hikers in Chile are often amazed by the tall Drimys winteri trees they encounter.

  • We used the lightweight wood of Drimys winteri to build our new treehouse.

Synonyms

winter's bark tree
vsDrimys winteri
  • Specialized
9.9

A South American evergreen tree with fragrant leaves, bark used as medicine, and soft light wood

is the scientific name used in formal or botanical contexts
winter's bark
vsDrimys winteri
  • Specialized
9.9

A South American evergreen tree with aromatic bark used as a spice and medicine

focuses on both bark and the light soft wood rather than only bark uses

Surface Forms

Drimys winteri singular
Drimys winteris plural

Morphology

Drimys + winteri

This is a Latin binomial (scientific) name: its meaning (a specific South American tree) is a taxonomic label rather than a compositional English phrase. The parts ('Drimys' as a genus name and 'winteri' as a Latinized epithet) do not yield the botanical description to a B1 learner—'winteri' is not the English word 'winter' and the overall label is arbitrary without specialized botanical knowledge.

Etymology

Drimys winteri may come from an old word meaning 'spicy' or 'sharp', with Drimys referring to the tree's peppery 'bark' and winteri coming from the surname of a botanist who studied it. So the name reminds us of the tree's strong-tasting 'bark' and the person connected with its discovery.