🌿 A wetland shrub 🧺 A willow for weaving

red osier

1 9.9

A Eurasian willow with red twigs used for making baskets

noun

: 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

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

osier

vsred osier

1 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

Salix purpurea

vsred osier

Specialized

1 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

basket willow

vsred osier

1 7.4

A willow with long flexible twigs used for making baskets

focuses on the same twig colour but emphasises basketry use similarly

purple osier

vsred osier

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

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

velvet osier

vsred osier

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

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

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.