vine maple
- noun
- /vaɪn ˈmeɪpəl/
- US
- The little vine maples under the trees made stripes, their layers as cleanly horizontal as so many small horizons, and among them wandered fogs like little living things.
- vine maple leaves
Examples
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I didn't know how much time I'd lost, but the vine maples had turned, and it was cold at night.
Fiction book (1990) -
"He asks, "Couldn't you go up to the Coast Range for big leaf or vine maple like we do?"
Fiction book (1990) -
On both sides, the underbrush rose to my hips, with dead briar and vine maple.
Fiction book (1990) -
Some beautiful ferns, red twig, Dogwood, and there's a whole bunch of vine Maple and hemlock in here.
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I purchased some bareroot native plants in February, which I have potted up and will soon be putting in the ground: vine maples, elderberry, huckleberry, currant, and others.
Blog text (12) -
The park is filled with beautiful vine maples that turn brilliant colors in the fall.
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In our backyard, we planted several vine maples to create a natural screen from the neighbors.
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On our hike, we enjoyed the vibrant foliage of the vine maples along the trail.
Synonyms
A small maple tree from northwestern North America that often forms dense groups by rooting its branch tips
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositionally transparent: 'vine' (a twining plant) modifies 'maple' to signal a maple with vine-like, arching stems that can root, which matches the given definition. This noun–noun formation is a common, literal pattern in English (and cross-linguistically), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Vine maple comes from the tree's way of growing: its long, arching stems act like a vine, sometimes taking root where they touch the ground, while it is still a maple. So the name pictures a small maple that can spread and form dense thickets.