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Glite Dictionary
mastic tree

mastic tree

9.9
An evergreen shrub from the Mediterranean that makes a sticky scented sap used in food, medicine and industry
  • noun
  • /ˈmæstɪk tri/
translation icon : mástic
  • The aromatic sap from the mastic tree is prized for its unique flavor in Mediterranean cuisine.

Examples

  • Chewing gum was once made from resin harvested from the mastic tree.

  • The mastic tree thrives in dry, rocky soils of southern Europe and North Africa.

  • The mastic tree is known for its aromatic resin.

  • Many mastic trees grow in Greece.

  • The mastic tree thrives in dry, rocky soils of southern Europe and North Africa.

  • Chewing gum was once made from resin harvested from the mastic tree.

  • The aromatic sap from the mastic tree is prized for its unique flavor in Mediterranean cuisine.

Synonyms

Pistacia lentiscus
vsmastic tree
  • Specialized
9.9

A small evergreen bush from the Mediterranean that produces scented resin used in food and medicine

is the common name rather than the scientific form
mastic
vsmastic tree
9.9

An evergreen shrub from the Mediterranean grown for its fragrant sap

also covers medical uses in addition to food and industry
lentisk
vsmastic tree
  • Specialized
9.9

An evergreen shrub from the Mediterranean that makes a sticky resin called mastic

emphasizes the resin's uses in food medicine and industry

Surface Forms

mastic tree singular
mastic trees plural

Morphology

mastic + tree

The noun phrase is a straightforward botanical compound: if a learner knows 'mastic' (a resin-producing Mediterranean shrub) and 'tree' (a perennial woody plant), they can infer it denotes a tree that produces mastic resin. This is compositional and non-idiomatic, so the meaning is predictable from its parts.

Etymology

Mastic tree gets its name from the sticky resin called mastic that the tree makes. People in the Mediterranean scraped the bark and collected small drops that looked like 'tears' and chewed them like gum, so today mastic tree means the evergreen shrub that produces aromatic resin used in food and as chewing gum.