Skip to main content
snowbell

snowbell

9.8
A small tree from Japan with bell-shaped white flowers
  • noun
  • /ˈsnoʊˌbɛl/
translation icon : campana de nieve
  • The snowbell tree produces lovely white flowers that bloom in early spring.

Examples

  • And Snowbell.

  • A little later in the spring, the large, white flowers of the shrubby snowbell bush, a first cousin to the silverbell, brighten the midlayer in the forest.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Many gardeners enjoy planting snowbell trees for their beautiful bell-shaped blossoms.

  • In Japanese gardens, the snowbell is cherished for its delicate flowers and graceful form.

Synonyms

Japanese snowbell
vssnowbell
7.2

A small tree or bush that loses its leaves and has fragrant white bell-shaped flowers

is a small tree rather than a shrub
Styrax obassia
vssnowbell
  • Specialized
9.9

A small tree from Japan that loses its leaves and has fragrant white flowers

specifies bell-shaped flowers rather than general fragrant ones
Styrax japonicum
vssnowbell
  • Specialized
9.6

A small tree from China and Japan with fragrant white flowers

is native only to Japan rather than China and Japan

Compounds

A small tree or bush that loses its leaves and has fragrant white bell-shaped flowers

A rare small tree or shrub with white bell-shaped flowers that grows in the southwestern United States

Surface Forms

snowbell singular
snowbells plural

Morphology

snowbell = snow + bell (transparent) = snow + bell

The compound clearly names a bell-shaped white flower, so its meaning is directly derivable from 'snow' + 'bell'.

Etymology

Snowbell is made from snow ('white like snow') and bell ('a bell'), and it names a small tree whose flowers are white and bell-shaped. So the word paints a simple picture: little 'snowy bells' hanging from the branches, which explains the name.