pecan tree
2
2.7
- noun
- /pɪˈkæn tri/
- US
:
nogal de pecán
- In the summer, we often enjoy picnics under the large pecan tree in our backyard.
- an old pecan tree
- a grove of pecan trees
- the shade of a pecan tree
Examples
-
Edna was sitting on her favorite rocker, out under the pecan tree in the backyard, when her father heard the news over the radio.
Fiction book (1997) -
So there was this huge pecan tree that was by the wall.
-
It's got a big pecan tree in the front yard.
-
The two women left and the two men sat down in the shade of a large pecan tree.
Fiction book (2001) -
The mist was heavy and wet in the pecan trees outside the window.
Fiction book (1991) -
Cecil pointed to a path that led into the woods beyond the pecan trees.
Fiction book (1998) -
Still inside herself, Carlee looks at the pecan tree a hundred yards away in her father's pasture.
Fiction book (2002) -
Tumbleweeds now filled the untilled cotton fields; the pecan trees bloomed and dropped their husky nuts and spread their summer canopy without interference.
Fiction book (1991) -
The same spreading magnolias, water oaks, and pecan trees that Ouida's grandmother had planted now enveloped and dwarfed the shotgun house.
Fiction book (1998) -
When autumn arrives, the leaves of the pecan tree turn beautiful shades of yellow and orange.
Synonyms
7
3.2
A tall tree that produces smooth brown nuts used for food
1
2.1
A tree that grows nuts you can eat
A large tree that produces edible nuts called pecans
A large tree that grows in the southern United States and Mexico and produces edible pecans
How Tall
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase denotes a tree that produces pecans, which is directly and compositionally derived from combining 'pecan' (the nut or nut-producing plant) with 'tree' (a perennial woody plant). This noun+noun compound pattern is a regular, cross-linguistic way to name types of trees and follows standard English compounding, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Pecan tree may come from a Native American word for a 'nut you must crack' with a stone, so a pecan tree is simply the tree that gives those hard, tasty nuts.