nim tree
- noun
- Indian
:
árbol nim
- Farmers in the region often plant a nim tree for its fragrant seeds that can be used to make oil.
Examples
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The nim tree is known for its bitter bark, which is often used to create medicinal tonics.
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Under the shade of the nim tree, we gathered to discuss traditional remedies made from its bark.
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In the nim tree, he decided to plant trees throughout Aurangi Town Number 9.
Fiction book (1995)
Synonyms
1
8.2
A large Indian tree with bitter leaves used in medicine and to keep insects away
A large tree from South Asia used in medicine and for natural pest control, also called neem
A large tree from South Asia with bitter bark and oil used in medicine and to keep insects away
A large tree from India whose seeds and bark are used for medicine and to keep insects away
A large evergreen tree from India whose bark, seeds, and oil are used for medicine and to keep away pests
A large semi-evergreen tree from Southeast Asia with bitter bark used as medicine and seeds that give aromatic oil
Surface Forms
Morphology
nim + tree
The form 'nim tree' follows the productive English pattern X + tree, so a learner who knows the constituents would at least infer it denotes a kind of tree. However, 'nim' here functions as a language-specific species name with no compositional meaning given, so the specific botanical/medicinal sense (bitter bark, aromatic oil, native range) cannot be derived from the parts alone.
Etymology
Nim tree comes from the local Indian word 'nīm' for the same tree. People used its bitter leaves and seed oil as 'medicine' and planted the trees around fields to keep insects away, so the name became the English word for this tree.