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linden tree

linden tree

1 6.2
A large leafy tree with heart-shaped leaves and sweet-smelling yellow flowers often planted for shade
  • noun
  • /ˈlɪndən tri/
translation icon : árbol de tilo
  • The children played in the shade of the linden tree in the park.

Examples

  • Walking under the linden trees of a Zagreb spring, I found it hard to reconcile the city's graceful symmetry with its history of political disequilibrium.

    Academic text (2000)
  • And the street here is the famous Unter den Linden, named after the linden trees, which they've replanted now.

  • The linden trees are turning yellow.

  • Along the bank, he saw dark linden trees.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The day Brozek left his store, it was months before the linden tree bloomed.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The Austin Healey was still there, across the lawn, at the head of the row of linden trees.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • The only thing that moved was the water over the artful cataracts and the branches of the oaks and linden trees.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Brys leaned against the slender linden tree, pressed his back against the rough bark.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Above, over Pelonker-Strasse, among linden trees bedecked with clumps of mistletoe, a flock of ducks was circling.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • During spring, the fragrant blossoms of the linden tree attract many bees.

Synonyms

lime
vslinden tree
  • UK
4 6.2

A large tree with heart-shaped leaves and small fragrant yellow flowers

is given less emphasis on timber and more on shade in the key description
linden
vslinden tree
2 7.2

A tree with heart-shaped leaves and sweet-smelling yellowish flowers

is the principal name used in this description rather than a variant
lime tree
vslinden tree
  • UK
1 3.0

A large tree with heart-shaped leaves and sweet-smelling flowers used for timber

focuses more on general value and shade rather than timber detail
basswood
vslinden tree
  • US
7.9

A large tree with heart-shaped leaves and sweet-smelling flowers

stresses the whole tree and shade rather than wood and carving use

How Big

linden tree
1 6.2
sapling
16 2.7
seedling
20 2.8

Surface Forms

linden tree singular
linden trees plural

Morphology

linden + tree

The phrase denotes a tree of the linden (Tilia) species and this meaning is directly compositional from 'linden' (a type of deciduous tree) + 'tree' (a tall perennial plant). This noun+noun construction is a straightforward descriptive pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

The noun linden tree may come from an old word lind that meant 'soft' or 'flexible', because this tree has soft wood and wide leaves that give cool shade. People used its wood for carving and often met under its shade, so the name stuck to the kind of tree we call a 'linden tree' today.