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Glite Dictionary
winged elm

winged elm

9.1
A North American tree with thick ridges on its small branches and new growth
  • noun
  • /ˈwɪŋd ɛlm/
  • US
translation icon : olmo alado
  • The winged elm is known for its distinctive corky ridges on the twigs and branches.

Examples

  • It is a mixture of blackjack oak, willow oak, southern red oak, black gum, persimmon, winged elm, red mulberry, and other trees.

    Academic text (1997)

  • The winged elm provides excellent shade during the hot summer months.

  • In the park, I found a beautiful winged elm standing tall among the other trees.

Synonyms

Ulmus alata
vswinged elm
  • Specialized
9.9

A North American elm tree with small leaves and corky wings on its branches

is the everyday English name used outside scientific contexts
wing elm
vswinged elm
  • US
9.6

A North American tree with rough, thick bumps on its branches that look like wings

is the form with an adjectival ending rather than the shorter name

Surface Forms

winged elm singular
winged elms plural

Morphology

winged + elm

This is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'winged' means having wing- or wing-like appendages and 'elm' is a type of tree, so the phrase denotes an elm with wing-like projections. The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents and follows standard English modifier patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both words would likely understand it.

Etymology

The name winged elm comes from the bumpy, cork-like ridges on its branches that make the elm look winged, like small 'wings' along the twigs. So the name means an elm tree with wing-like ridges on its branches.