black ash
- noun
- /blæk æʃ/
- US
:
fresno negro
- The woodworker chose black ash for its durability and rich color to craft the new furniture.
Examples
-
In the forest, the black ash towered above the other trees with its thick, dark trunk.
-
"He pointed to the black ash in the grate."
Fiction book (1993) -
During autumn, the leaves of the black ash turned a stunning gold, creating a colorful display.
Synonyms
A tree from North America with dark heavy wood and leaves that turn gold in autumn
A North American tree with dark heavy wood and leaves that turn gold in autumn
A spreading North American tree with heavy dark wood and leaves that turn gold in autumn
A North American tree with strong flexible wood used to make baskets and leaves that turn gold in autumn
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward adjective + noun compound: knowing 'black' (dark color) and 'ash' (a type of tree) lets a learner infer it refers to an ash tree characterized by a dark/black aspect (i.e., a particular species or variety). Color + noun compounding to name plant species is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily grasp the meaning.
Etymology
Black ash comes from the simple idea of an ash tree whose wood or bark is dark; people added black to ash to show its darker, heavier wood. So black ash means 'an ash tree known for dark, heavy wood and golden autumn leaves'.
