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Glite Dictionary
mountain ebony

mountain ebony

9.6
A small Asian tree with hard dark wood and pink or white orchid-like flowers
  • noun
  • Indian
translation icon : ébano de montaña
  • The mountain ebony is prized for its beautiful, orchid-like blooms in spring.

Examples

  • Carpenters often use the hard wood of the mountain ebony for making furniture.

  • During my trip to India, I saw several mountain ebony trees lining the roadside.

  • The mountain ebony tree blooms beautifully in spring.

  • I saw a stunning mountain ebony in the botanical garden.

  • Carpenters often use the hard wood of the mountain ebony for making furniture.

  • During my trip to India, I saw several mountain ebony trees lining the roadside.

  • The mountain ebony is prized for its beautiful, orchid-like blooms in spring.

Synonyms

Bauhinia variegata
vsmountain ebony
  • Specialized
9.9

A small tree from India and Southeast Asia with pink or white orchid-like flowers

is similar but has pink or white flowers and a broader Asian range
orchid tree
vsmountain ebony
8.4

A small tree with large bright flowers and hard dark wood

is similar but applies across a broader South and East Asian area

Surface Forms

mountain ebony singular
mountain ebonies plural

Morphology

mountain + ebony

The compound 'mountain ebony' is directly compositional: 'mountain' modifies 'ebony' to indicate a type or variety of the ebony tree associated with mountains. A B1 learner who knows 'mountain' and 'ebony' can reasonably infer this is a kind of ebony tree, so the meaning is transparently derived from the constituents.

Etymology

The plant name mountain ebony may come from the tree growing on hills, so mountain meaning 'hills', and from its hard, dark wood that looks like real ebony, so ebony. So the name helps you remember it's a small tree with dark wood and beautiful flowers.