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Glite Dictionary
bearwood

bearwood

9.9
A shrubby tree that grows on the Pacific coast of the United States and has bark used as medicine
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : cascara sagrada
  • The bearwood tree is recognizable by its thick foliage and is often found along the Pacific coast.

Examples

  • Bearwood is prized for its strong bark, which some people use to craft herbal remedies.

  • Local gardeners love to plant bearwood due to its fragrant flowers and ability to thrive in coastal climates.

  • The book encompasses the period from December 1856 to February 1857 and contains notes on several important collections, including those of the Duke of Newcastle at Portman Square, John Walter of Bearwood, Berkshire, and the aforementioned Joseph Dingwall.

    Academic text (2012)

Synonyms

chittimwood
vsbearwood
  • Archaic
9.9

A small tree from the Pacific coast whose bark is used as a laxative

is the common name that notes yielding cascara sagrada
cascara buckthorn
vsbearwood
  • Specialized
9.9

A small coastal tree whose bark is used to make a medicine for constipation

is used more generally to point to the bark rather than to the medicine
Rhamnus purshianus
vsbearwood
  • Specialized
9.9

A small shrubby tree from the US Pacific coast whose bark is used as a natural laxative

is the ordinary common name not the scientific label

Surface Forms

bearwood singular
bearwoods plural

Morphology

bearwood = bear + wood (semi-transparent) = bear + wood

Formally a compound of 'bear' + 'wood', but as a species name it denotes a specific shrub and this specialized botanical sense is not fully predictable from the component words.

Etymology

Bearwood is a simple compound of bear and wood, meaning 'wood where bears are found'. So the name fits a shrubby tree of the Pacific coast that grows in those river and forest places and is known for its medicinal bark.