Swiss pine
- noun
- UK
:
pino suizo
- Birds often feed on the seeds of the Swiss pine, known as cembra nuts.
- gilded Swiss pine
Examples
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The Swiss pine tree thrives in the Alpine regions of Europe.
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The carpenter chose Swiss pine for its durability and attractive grain.
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Artisans often craft furniture from Swiss pine due to its pleasant fragrance.
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Many mountain slopes in the Alps are covered by dense Swiss pine forests.
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The Swiss pine is prized for its durable wood and edible seeds.
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Look at that Swiss pine!
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The Swiss pine is known for its longevity.
Synonyms
A large European pine with clusters of five needles that makes edible nuts and sticky resin
A large European pine tree with groups of five needles and edible nuts
A large tree from central Europe with groups of five needles and edible seeds
A large pine tree from the high Alps that makes edible seeds called cembra nuts
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'Swiss' (from or relating to Switzerland) with 'pine' (a type of evergreen tree), indicating a pine associated with Switzerland. This adjectival + noun naming pattern for species is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Swiss pine probably got its name because the tree grows on mountain slopes in Switzerland, where people long used its scented 'wood' and tasty 'seeds' for food and craft. So today Swiss pine refers to the large mountain pine known for its edible seeds and fragrant wood.
