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Glite Dictionary
cucumber tree

cucumber tree

8.5
A large American tree with big leaves and fruit shaped like a small cucumber
  • noun
  • /ˈkjuːkʌmbər triː/
  • US
translation icon : árbol de pepino
  • In the wild, the cucumber tree can grow up to thirty meters tall.

Examples

  • Look at the cucumber tree!

  • The cucumber tree is cultivated for its attractive foliage and unusual fruit.

  • Gardeners planted a cucumber tree at the edge of the park for shade and ornamental value.

  • Is that a cucumber tree?

  • The cucumber tree has beautiful greenish-yellow flowers in early spring.

  • In the garden, the cucumber tree stands out with its large, glossy leaves.

  • This park features a cucumber tree, which is known for its unique fruit resembling small cucumbers.

Synonyms

Magnolia acuminata
vscucumber tree
  • Specialized
9.3

A large American tree with broad leaves and fruit that looks like a cucumber

is the common everyday name used instead of the scientific label

Surface Forms

cucumber tree singular
cucumber trees plural

Morphology

cucumber + tree

The meaning (a tree characterized by cucumber-like fruit) is directly inferable from the compound 'cucumber' + 'tree' since English noun-noun compounds typically mean a type of the head noun modified by the first noun. This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Cucumber tree gets its name because its fruit look like small green cucumbers hanging from the branches. That's why people call this magnolia a cucumber tree.