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medlar tree

medlar tree

9.6
A small tree that makes brown fruit like small apples you can eat
  • noun
  • /ˈmɛdlər tri/
translation icon : níspero
  • The medlar tree is known for its distinctive fruit that resembles an apple.

Examples

  • Farmers appreciate the medlar tree for its hardy nature and delicious, apple-like fruit.

  • Her new project is an orchard where she will grow apple, guava, peach, and medlar trees.

    Blog text (17)
  • In spring, the medlar tree blossoms with beautiful white flowers before producing fruit.

Synonyms

Mespilus germanica
vsmedlar tree
  • Specialized
9.9

A small tree that makes edible fruit like small apples called the medlar

is the everyday name rather than the botanical term
medlar
vsmedlar tree
9.9

A small tree that loses its leaves and produces edible fruit

is native only to Eurasia rather than to both regions

How Big

big tree
  • Specialized
3 3.5
medlar tree
9.6
sapling
16 2.7
seedling
20 2.8

Surface Forms

medlar tree singular
medlar trees plural

Morphology

medlar + tree

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'medlar' (a tree producing edible pome fruits) + 'tree' — essentially a noun+noun naming pattern indicating the kind of tree. This straightforward, cross-linguistically common compounding makes the MWE immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Medlar tree is the name for a small tree that makes a brown, apple-like fruit which must be left until it becomes very soft and sweet. People in old villages would keep these fruits through the cold months and eat them when they were soft, so the name helps you remember the tree is grown for its unusual edible fruit.