trifoliate orange
- noun
- /ˈtraɪfoʊliˌeɪt ˈɔrɪndʒ/
- Specialized
:
naranjo trifoliado
- Gardeners frequently use trifoliate orange as rootstock for cultivated citrus trees.
Examples
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The trifoliate orange is often grown as a hedge because of its dense, thorny branches.
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Although the trifoliate orange produces attractive fruit, it is generally considered inedible.
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The trifoliate orange is known for its spiny branches.
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Many gardeners prefer the trifoliate oranges for their hardiness.
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Gardeners frequently use trifoliate orange as rootstock for cultivated citrus trees.
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Although the trifoliate orange produces attractive fruit, it is generally considered inedible.
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The trifoliate orange is often grown as a hedge because of its dense, thorny branches.
Synonyms
1
8.5
A small tree with fragrant flowers and bitter, inedible fruit
A small thorny Chinese tree with scented flowers and inedible fruit used for grafting and hedges
A small spiny Chinese tree with scented flowers and decorative inedible fruit used for hedges and as rootstock
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is directly compositional: 'trifoliate' (having three leaflets) modifies 'orange' (the orange tree/fruit), so the phrase denotes an orange tree with three-part leaves. Although 'trifoliate' is somewhat specialized vocabulary, if a learner knows both constituent meanings the overall sense is predictable and follows ordinary adjective+noun composition found across languages.
Etymology
Trifoliate orange The name trifoliate orange comes from its leaves: trifoliate means 'three leaflets' and orange is the fruit the tree makes. So the name paints a simple picture — a small, thorny orange tree with leaves in groups of three, which helps you remember why gardeners use it for hedges and to help grow other orange trees.