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shade tree

shade tree

4 2.2
A large tree that gives shade from the sun
  • noun
translation icon : árbol de sombra
  • 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

226 1.0

Bright with sunlight or cheerful and pleasant like sunshine

1 3.4

Not protected from danger or bad weather

How Shady

canopy
64 4.1
shade tree
4 2.2
treelet
6.8
sapling
16 2.7

Surface Forms

shade tree singular
shade trees plural

Morphology

shade + tree

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'.