wild crab
- noun
- UK
:
manzano silvestre
- Early botanists identified the wild crab as a key ancestor of today's domestic apples.
Examples
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In spring, the blossoms of the wild crab attract many pollinators to the hedgerows.
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The ancient forest was home to several wild crab trees, their fruit scattered among the leaves.
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The wild crab is often found in hedgerows.
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Many gardeners appreciate the wild crab for its beauty.
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Early botanists identified the wild crab as a key ancestor of today's domestic apples.
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In spring, the blossoms of the wild crab attract many pollinators to the hedgerows.
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The ancient forest was home to several wild crab trees, their fruit scattered among the leaves.
Synonyms
A wild crab apple tree from Europe that is an ancestor of the apples we grow
Surface Forms
Morphology
The listed constituent meanings ('wild' = untamed, 'crab' = marine crustacean) do not compose to yield 'a species of wild crab apple'; the target sense depends on the lexicalized compound 'crab apple' rather than the literal noun 'crab'. A B1 learner who only knows the given constituent senses would likely interpret 'wild crab' as an untamed crustacean, so the actual MWE meaning is not derivable from the parts.
Etymology
Wild crab comes from small, sour crab 'apples' that grow in the wild. Long ago people used these trees to make sweeter farm apples, so Wild crab now means the wild apple tree that is the 'ancestor' of today's apples.
