spindleberry

9.9

A small tree or bush that has bright red berries

noun
/ˈspɪndəlˌbɛri/

: baya de espino

Gardeners often plant spindleberry bushes for their decorative berries.

Examples

The bright red berries of the spindleberry tree attract many birds in autumn.
The spindleberry is admired for its vibrant autumn fruit and foliage.
Birds are attracted to the bright spindleberry fruit in the winter months.
The spindleberry tree is known for its vibrant red fruit.
Many birds enjoy eating spindleberries during the fall.
In winter, the spindleberry fruit stands out against the bare branches of the tree.
Gardeners appreciate the spindleberry for its showy, colorful berries in the garden.

Synonyms

spindleberry tree

vsspindleberry

9.9

A small tree or climbing plant with bright red berries

means the same but focuses on any of several rather than one plant

spindle tree

vsspindleberry

9.1

A small tree with bright pink and orange berries often grown in gardens or woods

applies to shrubby or vine forms in general, not only cultivated small trees

Compounds

spindleberry tree

9.9

A small tree or climbing plant with bright red berries

Surface Forms

spindleberry singular

spindleberries plural

Morphology

spindleberry = spindle + berry (transparent) = spindle + berry

Formed by straightforward compounding of 'spindle' + 'berry' meaning 'the berry associated with the spindle (tree)', so the sense is directly derivable from its parts.

Etymology

The word spindleberry starts with spindle, a word for 'a thin rod for spinning wool', and ends with berry. Because people once used the tree's hard wood to make small spindles, the plant kept that name, so spindleberry is an easy way to think of a shrub with bright, showy berries.