Irish strawberry
- noun
- UK
:
fresa irlandesa
- The garden featured an Irish strawberry tree with clusters of bright red fruit.
Examples
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Although the Irish strawberry is edible, its berries are not as sweet as common strawberries.
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He mistook the Irish strawberry for a traditional strawberry due to its color.
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The Irish strawberry is often found in gardens across Ireland.
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Have you ever tried an Irish strawberry?
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The Irish strawberry tree produces small scarlet berries that can be eaten but are usually bland.
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Many gardeners enjoy cultivating the Irish strawberry for its unique fruit and attractive foliage.
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In late autumn, the Irish strawberry showcases its red berries, which attract birds to the garden.
Synonyms
A small evergreen shrub or tree often called the strawberry tree with red berries that taste bland
A small evergreen tree with white flowers and mild red berries
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines a location adjective 'Irish' with the noun 'strawberry', so a learner who knows both words will reasonably infer it refers to a strawberry (or strawberry-like fruit/plant) associated with Ireland. While specific botanical details (that it is an evergreen tree Arbutus unedo rather than a typical low strawberry plant) may not be predictable, the basic referent is compositionally transparent and follows ordinary adjective+noun naming patterns.
Etymology
Irish strawberry gets its name from the bright red berries on a small tree that look like a regular strawberry. Because the plant is really a tree and the fruit is edible but not very sweet, the name means 'a small tree with red, edible but not very sweet berries'.
