crybaby tree

9.9

A small spiny tree from South America with bright red flowers

noun

: ceibo

The crybaby tree dazzles with clusters of bright scarlet flowers each spring.

Examples

The crybaby tree is native to tropical regions of South America and thrives in warm climates.
Gardeners value the crybaby tree for its unusual blooms and attractive spiny branches.
The crybaby tree blooms beautifully in spring.
Have you ever seen a crybaby tree in full bloom?
Gardeners value the crybaby tree for its unusual blooms and attractive spiny branches.
The crybaby tree dazzles with clusters of bright scarlet flowers each spring.
The crybaby tree is native to tropical regions of South America and thrives in warm climates.

Synonyms

cry-baby tree

vscrybaby tree

9.9

A small spiny tree from South America with deep red flowers

is identical in meaning but written without a hyphen

ceibo

vscrybaby tree

9.9

A small spiny tree from South America with dark red flowers that grow alone or in small groups

has identical botanical features but uses the original common label

common coral tree

vscrybaby tree

9.0

A small thorny South American tree with bright red flowers

refers specifically to the species rather than a broad common label

Erythrina crista-galli

vscrybaby tree

Specialized

9.9

A small tree from South America with spiny branches and bright red flowers grown for decoration

focuses on the species identity without mentioning ornamental cultivation

Surface Forms

crybaby tree singular

crybaby trees plural

Morphology

crybaby + tree

The compound combines a colloquial human descriptor 'crybaby' with 'tree' to form a species name; knowing the literal meanings of the parts ('one who cries easily' + 'tree') does not allow a learner to infer the botanical sense (a small spiny South American tree with crimson flowers). Plant names like this behave like lexicalized labels and are unpredictable from their constituents, so the meaning is not derivable by a B1 learner.

Etymology

Crybaby tree may get its name from the look of its flowers: the bright scarlet blooms hang in small clusters that people thought looked like tiny faces or like teardrops. That's why people started calling the plant the 'crybaby tree', and the name now refers to a small spiny South American tree with dark crimson and scarlet flowers.