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Glite Dictionary
🌿 A wetland shrub 🧺 A willow for weaving
red osier

red osier

9.9
A Eurasian willow with red twigs used for making baskets
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : sauce roja
  • Many baskets were woven from the supple branches of the red osier.

Examples

  • The bright stems of the red osier stood out against the winter snow.

  • The red osier grows abundantly along the riverbank.

  • The park's wetland restoration project included planting hundreds of red osier shrubs.

  • I saw a beautiful red osier during my hike.

  • The bright stems of the red osier stood out against the winter snow.

  • Many baskets were woven from the supple branches of the red osier.

  • The park's wetland restoration project included planting hundreds of red osier shrubs.

Synonyms

red willow
vsred osier
  • UK
1 7.7

A type of willow with reddish stems and flexible branches used for making baskets

is the same plant but named with a different common term
Salix purpurea
vsred osier
  • Specialized
9.9

A willow that has purple twigs and flexible branches used for basket weaving

is the common description of that species rather than the scientific name
purple osier
vsred osier
  • UK
9.9

A small willow with purple twigs used for making baskets

is the same species concept expressed with an alternate common name
purple willow
vsred osier
  • UK
7.7

A tree with reddish-purple twigs used for making baskets and leather

uses a different common label for the same tannin-rich twig trait
basket willow
vsred osier
7.4

A willow with long flexible twigs used for making baskets

focuses on the same twig colour but emphasises basketry use similarly
velvet osier
vsred osier
  • UK
9.9

A type of willow with long flexible twigs used for making baskets

adds the specific detail of reddish, tannin-rich twigs not mentioned here
common osier
vsred osier
  • UK
8.5

A type of willow with long flexible branches used for making baskets

highlights twig colour and tannin content that this entry does not stress
osier
vsred osier
9.9

A willow tree with long flexible branches that people use for weaving baskets and furniture

is a specific member of that type noted for red twigs and tannin

Surface Forms

red osier singular
red osiers plural

Morphology

red + osier

This is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'red' (a color) modifies 'osier' (a type of willow), so if a learner knows both constituent meanings the phrase denotes the red-colored variety of osier. The meaning is fully predictable from the parts, though 'osier' itself is low-frequency and may be unknown to many learners.

Etymology

Red osier comes from the word osier, which meant a 'willow used for baskets', and red describes the twig color. So red osier names a willow with reddish twigs that were used for basket weaving.