oil palm
- noun
- /ɔɪl pɑm/
- Many countries in Southeast Asia have expanded their agricultural areas to include oil palms.
- oil palm plantation
- oil palm development
- African oil palm
Examples
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Since 1993, this group has established oil palm plantations and plans to build a refinery.
Academic text (2000) -
The once-magnificent tropical forests of Borneo have been decimated by rampant logging and clearing for oil palm plantations.
Blog text (32) -
And how much of this oil palm, which you can see here is coming from land expansion versus yield expansion?
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Nonburning methods are being developed, and there is some research effort to find uses for waste oil palm stems.
Academic text (2000) -
Foreign investment in oil palm plantations, especially by Malaysian investors, has grown.
Academic text (2000) -
One-third of the total oil palm area of 2.2 million hectares was established in the last five years.
Academic text (2000) -
Presently, Borneo's remaining forests are giving way to oil palm plantations.
Academic text (2008) -
In 1938, northern Sumatra emerged as the largest single oil-palm exporter in the world.
Academic text (1991) -
For example, demand for biofuels in Europe may drive the conversion of tropical forests into oil palm plantations in Southeast Asia.
Academic text (2012) -
The oil palm is cultivated primarily for its valuable fruit, which is rich in oil.
Synonyms
A tropical palm tree grown for the oil from its fruit
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun-noun compound 'oil palm' is fully compositional: 'oil' modifies 'palm', indicating a palm tree associated with oil production. A B1 learner who knows 'oil' and 'palm' can readily infer that it refers to a palm tree whose fruit/seeds are used for oil, following a common, cross-linguistic descriptive pattern.
Etymology
Oil palm names a kind of palm tree that produces rich oil in its fruit. Imagine a palm heavy with red fruit that is pressed to make oil — that's why oil palm means 'an oil-producing palm tree'.