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Glite Dictionary
needle palm

needle palm

8.4
A small palm tree with long, stiff leaves that look like needles
  • noun
  • /ˈnidəl pɑlm/
  • US
translation icon : palma aguja
  • Many gardeners appreciate the needle palm for its unique appearance and low maintenance requirements.

Examples

  • Two rarities are the needle palm and the camellia-like silk bay shrub.

    Academic text (1993)

  • The needle palm is known for its long, stiff leaves that resemble needles.

  • In the warm climate of Florida, the needle palm thrives in sandy soils.

Surface Forms

needle palm singular
needle palms plural

Morphology

needle + palm

The meaning 'a small palm tree with long, stiff, needle-like leaves' is directly and compositionally derived from 'needle' + 'palm' — a common noun‑noun compound pattern indicating a subtype. The modifier 'needle' clearly describes the leaf shape/quality, and this kind of compositional naming is cross‑linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows both words would likely infer the meaning.

Etymology

Needle palm comes from the tree's look: the palm has long, stiff leaves that are like needles, thin and sharp. That's why the name means 'a small palm tree with long, stiff, needle-like leaves'.