Chinese elm
1
4.1
- noun
- /ˈtʃaɪniːz ɛlm/
:
olmo chino
- During autumn, the leaves of the Chinese elm create a colorful carpet that brightens the ground.
Examples
-
We pulled in under the branches of a Chinese elm and parked beside a wooden sign where tin plates had been nailed, their letters spelling out the cafe's name.
Fiction book (1993) -
The park is lined with beautiful Chinese elms that provide plenty of shade on sunny days.
-
I never rake up the Chinese elm leaves from the street trees.
Blog text (22) -
As he spoke, she must have slipped because the car veered and ran up on the curb and was stopped by a Chinese elm.
Fiction book (1994) -
It's a single tree, a Chinese elm, maybe, as angry-looking as you would be were you lonely and windswept and ill-tended and bug-ravaged and laughed at for a lifetime.
Fiction book (1995) -
Many homeowners choose a Chinese elm for its fast growth and ability to thrive in various soil conditions.
Synonyms
16
1.6
A large tree with broad leaves that gives shade
3
2.1
A large tree with broad leaves and strong wood often planted in parks and streets for shade
A small fast-growing tree from East Asia used for shade and hedges
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a species of elm from China' is directly and compositionally derived from 'Chinese' (from China) + 'elm' (a type of tree). Nationality/adjective + noun species labels are cross-linguistically common and follow standard English composition patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily understand this phrase.
Etymology
Chinese elm names the tree and where it came from: Chinese shows it came from China and elm is the kind of tree. People planted it in parks and gardens for 'shade' and as a 'decorative' plant, so the name tells you it is a useful ornamental tree.