shade tree
4
2.2
- noun
- Suddenly, gusts of wind rocked the only shade tree around.
- planted shade tree
- shade tree species
Examples
-
They make good shade trees.
-
Both of the new cultivars have the classic elm shape that made their predecessors so desirable as shade trees.
Academic text (1996) -
It's a nice shade tree.
-
There are also plenty of shade trees on this beach as well.
Blog text (30) -
The boulevard was lined with shade trees on either side.
Fiction book (1994) -
The Kid is sitting under the shade tree looking sullen.
Fiction book (1993) -
Some folks would be sitting under shade trees in their yards, maybe shelling lima beans.
Fiction book (1991) -
The city of Three Rivers, Michigan, has a tremendous number of 100-year-old shade trees, generating a significant amount of leaves and branches.
Academic text (1996) -
In Nicaragua's southern coffee district of Carazo, more than twenty-five species of shade trees were found in traditional coffee farms (Table VI).
Academic text (1999) -
On a hot summer day, we set up our picnic blanket under a shade tree to enjoy the cool breeze.
Antonyms
How Shady
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a tree that provides shade' is directly and transparently composed from 'shade' (a shady spot) + 'tree' (a tall plant). This is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common noun-noun composition, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Shade tree comes from the simple picture of a tree planted to give shade on hot days. Because people planted these trees to make a cool spot under their branches, the phrase means 'a tree valued for providing shade from sunlight'.