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Glite Dictionary
Olea cunninghamii

Olea cunninghamii

9.9
A tree from northern New Zealand with very hard light brown wood
  • noun
  • Specialized
: Olea cunninghamii
  • The dense wood of Olea cunninghamii is highly prized for making furniture and cabinetry in New Zealand.

Examples

  • The dense wood of Olea cunninghamii is valued for woodworking in New Zealand.

  • The Olea cunninghamii tree is known for its hard wood.

  • Conservationists are trying to protect Olea cunninghamii due to its limited distribution.

  • Several Olea cunninghamii trees grow along the northern coastal forests.

  • Did you see the Olea cunninghamii at the botanical garden?

  • Conservationists are working to ensure the survival of Olea cunninghamii because of its limited range and ecological importance.

  • In the northern coastal forests of New Zealand, you can find several majestic Olea cunninghamii trees.

Synonyms

black maire
vsOlea cunninghamii
  • New Zealand
9.9

A New Zealand tree with very hard light brown wood used for furniture and building

has identical meaning but uses a different scientific name

Surface Forms

Olea cunninghamii singular
Olea cunninghamiis plural

Morphology

Olea + cunninghamii

This is a Latin binomial (scientific) name: while 'Olea' signals the olive genus (a tree), the species epithet 'cunninghamii' is a proper-name formation with no lexical meaning for learners. A B1 learner who knows the parts would at best guess it is some kind of tree, but would not be able to derive the specific sense (a northern New Zealand tree with dense, hard, light-brown wood), so the expression is not compositionally transparent.

Etymology

Olea cunninghamii gets its name from Olea, the 'olive' group of trees, and cunninghamii, which is named after the plant collector Allan Cunningham. So the name gives a simple picture of an olive-like tree found by Cunningham and helps you remember it is a northern New Zealand tree with very hard, light-brown wood.