cream-of-tartar tree

9.9

A tree from northern Australia that has sour, small round fruit

noun

Australian

: árbol de crema de tártaro

The cream-of-tartar tree is native to northern Australia and valued for its tart fruit.

Examples

Many Indigenous communities use the fruit of the cream-of-tartar tree in traditional recipes.
We found a cream-of-tartar tree growing near the riverbank during our bushwalk.
The cream-of-tartar tree is unique to Australia.
Many cream-of-tartar trees grow in the outback.
Many Indigenous communities use the fruit of the cream-of-tartar tree in traditional recipes.
The cream-of-tartar tree is native to northern Australia and valued for its tart fruit.
We found a cream-of-tartar tree growing near the riverbank during our bushwalk.

Synonyms

sour gourd

vscream-of-tartar tree

Australian

9.9

A tree that has sour fruit often used in cooking

is neutral, stating only that the tree has an acid tasting fruit

Surface Forms

cream-of-tartar tree singular

cream-of-tartar trees plural

Morphology

cream-of-tartar + tree

The compound follows a regular botanical formation ("X tree" = a tree associated with X), so a learner who knows "cream of tartar" plus "tree" could infer it names a tree related to that substance. However, "cream of tartar" is a relatively specialized culinary/chemical term (and is marked as not found here), and the specific sense (an Australian species with acid-tasting, gourd-like fruit) is not fully predictable from basic vocabulary, so the transparency is only partial.

Etymology

Cream-of-tartar tree probably got its name from the taste of its fruit. People thought the fruit was very sour and like the cooking powder cream of tartar, so the name helps you remember the tree's 'tart' fruit.