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Glite Dictionary
Japanese lilac

Japanese lilac

6.1
A tree with oval leaves and many pale pink flowers in early summer
  • noun
translation icon : lila japonés
  • In early summer, the Japanese lilac fills the air with its sweet fragrance as it blooms.

Examples

  • The pale pink flowers of the Japanese lilac attract numerous bees and butterflies.

  • The Japanese lilac in our garden blossoms beautifully every June.

  • Many landscapers recommend planting Japanese lilac trees along city streets for their hardiness.

  • The Japanese lilac blooms beautifully in June.

  • Do you see the Japanese lilac in the garden?

  • The Japanese lilac tree in front of my house produces lovely rose-lilac flowers every summer.

  • I love how the Japanese lilac adds a splash of color to the garden with its beautiful flowers.

Synonyms

Syringa villosa
vsJapanese lilac
  • Specialized
9.5

A shrub from northern China with oval leaves and many pink-lilac fragrant flowers in early summer

is the common English name rather than Latin terminology

Surface Forms

Japanese lilac singular
Japanese lilacs plural

Morphology

Japanese + lilac

The phrase is a straightforward adjective+noun composition: 'Japanese' specifies origin/association and 'lilac' names the shrub, so a B1 learner who knows both words will infer it denotes a type/variety of lilac associated with Japan. This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically and requires no idiomatic knowledge, making the phrase transparent despite any finer taxonomic details.

Etymology

The name Japanese lilac may come from the tree's pale lilac-coloured flowers and from people linking that plant with Japan, so gardeners used the words Japanese and lilac to show it was a lilac that came from Japan. That's why Japanese lilac means 'a lilac tree from Japan'.