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Glite Dictionary
Pistacia vera

Pistacia vera

8.4
A small tree that produces edible pistachio nuts
  • noun
  • /pɪˈsteɪʃə ˈvɪərə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : pistacia vera
  • Farmers in Iran have cultivated Pistacia vera for centuries for its prized pistachios.

Examples

  • The Pistacia vera tree requires a hot, dry climate to thrive and produce quality nuts.

  • A mature Pistacia vera can yield dozens of kilograms of pistachio nuts each harvest.

  • The Pistacia vera tree thrives in warm climates.

  • I planted a Pistacia vera in my backyard.

  • A mature Pistacia vera can yield dozens of kilograms of pistachio nuts each harvest.

  • Farmers in Iran have cultivated Pistacia vera for centuries for its prized pistachios.

  • The Pistacia vera tree requires a hot, dry climate to thrive and produce quality nuts.

Synonyms

pistachio
vsPistacia vera
1 3.5

A small tree that produces the green nuts people eat

is the scientific Latin name used specifically for the tree
pistachio tree
vsPistacia vera
3.9

A small tree that produces hard-shelled nuts people eat

is the scientific Latin name for the same tree

Surface Forms

Pistacia vera singular
Pistacia veras plural

Morphology

Pistacia + vera

This is a Linnaean binomial composed of the genus name 'Pistacia' (a genus of trees/shrubs that produce edible nuts) and the Latin epithet 'vera' (meaning 'true'). If a learner knows 'Pistacia' as the genus with edible nuts and understands 'vera' as 'true', they can infer it names the canonical pistachio tree, but both parts are specialized/Latin rather than everyday English, so the meaning is only partially accessible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Pistacia vera: The name Pistacia vera comes from old words for the pistachio and for 'true' — Pistacia comes from the Greek word for the pistachio tree and vera is Latin for 'true'. So the name shows this is the 'true' pistachio tree, the one that gives the edible pistachio nuts.