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Glite Dictionary
key fruit

key fruit

9.3
A winged fruit from maple or ash trees with one seed that spins as it falls
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : fruto alado
  • The maple tree releases its key fruit in the fall, which spin as they fall to the ground.

Examples

  • Scientists studied the dispersal methods of the ash's key fruit in windy environments.

  • Children often collect the spinning key fruit from elms during autumn.

  • The key fruit falls gracefully.

  • I found a key fruit today.

  • Children often collect the spinning key fruit from elms during autumn.

  • The maple tree releases its key fruit in the fall, which spin as they fall to the ground.

  • Scientists studied the dispersal methods of the ash's key fruit in windy environments.

Synonyms

key
vskey fruit
  • Specialized
78 9.1

A small dry seed with a wing that spins as it falls

is the fuller descriptive phrase rather than the shorter label
samara
vskey fruit
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A dry, winged fruit from trees like maple that carries one seed as it falls

focuses on the usual single seed rather than dryness or producers

Surface Forms

key fruit singular
key fruits plural

Morphology

key + fruit

The compound is directly compositional: 'key' (in the presented botanical sense of a winged dry seed/samara) combined with 'fruit' yields a winged fruit. Although the botanical sense of 'key' is relatively technical and infrequent in everyday speech, a B1 learner who knows both constituent senses can predict the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

One popular story says the name key fruit comes from the seed's shape: the little wing looks like a key and the whole fruit spins like a tiny helicopter as it falls. That's why key fruit refers to the winged, one-seeded fruits from trees like ash, elm and maple.