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Glite Dictionary
bird's-eye maple

bird's-eye maple

8.7
A type of maple wood with small eye-like marks and a wavy grain used for fine furniture and instruments
  • noun
  • /ˈbɜrdz aɪ ˈmeɪpəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : arce ojo de pájaro
  • The table is made of beautiful bird's-eye maple.

Examples

  • He chose bird's-eye maple for the guitar body due to its decorative pattern.

  • The antique cabinet was crafted from bird's-eye maple, adding a unique beauty to the piece.

  • The desk features bird's-eye maple veneer, which gives it an elegant look.

  • I love the unique patterns in bird's-eye maple furniture.

  • The dining table is finely crafted of bird's-eye maple, showcasing its unique wavy grain and eye-like markings.

  • When friends and family admire the rich bird's-eye maple cabinets, I feel proud knowing I built them myself.

  • The circular reception area features a large round workstation made from beautiful bird's-eye maple wood.

Surface Forms

bird's-eye maple singular
bird's-eye maples plural

Morphology

bird's-eye + maple

The compound is compositionally transparent: 'bird's-eye' describes small eye-like markings and 'maple' names the wood, so a learner can infer it refers to maple wood with small, eye-shaped grain patterns. This is a descriptive, non-idiomatic modifier+noun pattern that a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can reasonably understand.

Etymology

Bird's-eye maple comes from small, round marks in some maple trees that look like tiny bird's-eye 'eyes' in the wood. That's why bird's-eye maple today means a kind of maple wood with a special 'pattern' used for pretty furniture and musical instruments.