Siberian crab apple
- noun
- UK
:
manzano de los cangrejos siberiano
- The Siberian crab apple produces small, tart fruit that are ideal for making jelly.
Examples
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Gardeners appreciate the Siberian crab apple for its ornamental blossoms and hardy nature.
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I planted a Siberian crab apple tree last spring, and it is already bearing fruit.
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The Siberian crab apple tree blooms in early spring.
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Many gardeners love the Siberian crab apple for its beauty.
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The gardener planted a Siberian crab apple tree to enjoy its tart fruit in homemade jams.
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Many people appreciate the Siberian crab apple for its ornamental blossoms in spring.
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In northern climates, the Siberian crab apple is valued for its hardiness and unique, acidic fruit.
Synonyms
A small wild apple tree from Asia grown for its sour fruit and white spring flowers
A small tree that makes tart red apples used to make jam
A small tree that makes red sour fruit used for jam
A small red apple that tastes tart and is used to make jam
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is largely compositional — 'Siberian' signals origin and 'apple' signals fruit — so a learner who knows the words will likely infer it is a kind of apple from Siberia. However, 'crab apple' is a lexicalized compound meaning a small, sour wild apple where 'crab' does not refer to the animal, a nuance that is not fully predictable to a B1 learner, so the expression is only partly transparent.
Etymology
Siberian crab apple may come from the small, tart apples that grow in cold Siberia. The word crab was once used for small, 'sour' fruit, so the name fits a hardy tree grown for small apples used in 'preserves' and jellies.
