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Glite Dictionary
squawbush

squawbush

9.9
A small bush with strong-smelling three-part leaves and edible berries
  • noun
  • /ˈskwɔːbʌʃ/
  • NSFW
translation icon : arbusto squaw
  • The leaves of the squawbush are trifoliate and have a strong scent when touched.

Examples

  • The berries of the squawbush are considered edible and have been used by Native Americans.

  • The squawbush releases a strong odor when its leaves are crushed.

  • We spotted a squawbush growing at the edge of the hiking trail near the canyon.

  • The squawbush grows abundantly in California.

  • Many squawbushes can be found in the desert.

  • The squawbush produces edible berries that many wildlife species enjoy.

  • As we walked through the California desert, we noticed the distinctive smell of the squawbush nearby.

Synonyms

skunkbush
vssquawbush
  • US
1 9.9

A small California shrub with smelly leaves and red edible berries

refers to the shrub by the other common name
squaw-bush
vssquawbush
  • NSFW
9.9

A shrub that grows in dry California areas with three-part smelly leaves and edible fruit

is the unhyphenated form of that name
Rhus trilobata
vssquawbush
  • Specialized
9.9

A small bush with leaves in three parts and small edible berries

is native only to California

Surface Forms

squawbush singular
squawbushes plural

Morphology

squawbush = squaw + bush (semi-transparent) = squaw + bush

The compound clearly denotes a type of shrub ('bush'), but the culturally specific element 'squaw' signals association rather than botanical properties, so the full meaning is only partly inferable.

Etymology

Squawbush probably combines the old word squaw, once used to mean 'a Native American woman', and the simple word bush. Because native people used the shrub for food and other uses, the name came to mean this California bush with edible berries.