bird cherry tree

7.2

A small cherry tree with small berries that birds eat

noun

: cerezo silvestre

The bird cherry tree in our garden attracts dozens of finches every spring.

Examples

She planted a bird cherry tree to encourage more wildlife in her backyard.
In the wild, the berries of the bird cherry tree are an important food source for many birds.
The bird cherry tree is in full bloom this spring.
Many bird cherry trees line the park's pathways.
The bird cherry tree in our garden attracts dozens of finches every spring.
In the wild, the berries of the bird cherry tree are an important food source for many birds.
She planted a bird cherry tree to encourage more wildlife in her backyard.

Synonyms

cherry tree

vsbird cherry tree

8 1.0

A tree or shrub that grows small round fruit with one hard stone

is narrower, meaning small types often fed on by birds rather than all kinds

Prunus padus

vsbird cherry tree

Specialized

9.9

A small European tree with clusters of sweet-smelling white flowers and small bitter black cherries

is a general small tree often eaten by birds, not only that species

common bird cherry

vsbird cherry tree

9.2

A small European tree with clusters of sweet-smelling white flowers and black fruit eaten by birds

is the broader small tree term often fed on by birds, not just common varieties

European bird cherry

vsbird cherry tree

7.9

A small European tree that has groups of white flowers and small black fruit

is the wider small tree concept that includes but is not limited to this regional one

bird cherry

vsbird cherry tree

7.9

A small wild cherry tree with red or black fruit that birds often eat

is similar but can point to the general small tree group rather than only wild types

Surface Forms

bird cherry tree singular

bird cherry trees plural

Morphology

bird + cherry + tree

The meaning — a type of cherry tree associated with birds — is directly composed from 'bird' + 'cherry' + 'tree' and thus is predictable from the constituent words. This noun-noun compounding pattern is regular and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the parts should be able to infer the overall meaning.

Etymology

The compound noun bird cherry tree is a plain name: people saw birds eating its small cherries, so they named the plant after that scene. That's why bird + cherry + tree means a small cherry tree whose fruit is often 'eaten by birds'.