tung-oil tree

9.7

A Chinese tree that loses its leaves and has seeds used to make tung oil

noun
/tʌŋ ɔɪl tri/

: árbol de aceite de tung

Farmers harvest the seeds of the tung-oil tree to produce drying oil for wood finishing.

Examples

The tung-oil tree is widely cultivated in China for its valuable seeds.
A mature tung-oil tree can yield large quantities of seeds each year.
The tung-oil tree is native to China.
Many farmers cultivate tung-oil trees for their seeds.
Farmers harvest the seeds of the tung-oil tree to produce drying oil for wood finishing.
A mature tung-oil tree can yield large quantities of seeds each year.
The tung-oil tree is widely cultivated in China for its valuable seeds.

Synonyms

tung

vstung-oil tree

1 9.9

A Chinese tree whose seeds make oil used to protect and shine wood

is the fuller compound name stressing the oil producing function

Aleurites fordii

vstung-oil tree

Specialized

9.9

A Chinese tree that produces seeds used to make tung oil for varnish and paint

is the common name used in general descriptions not technical ones

tung tree

vstung-oil tree

9.1

A tree from China with seeds that make oil used to finish wood and make paint

highlights the seeds as the source of oil rather than its finishing use

Surface Forms

tung-oil tree singular

tung-oil trees plural

Morphology

tung-oil + tree

The noun is a straightforward compound where the first element names a product/material ('tung-oil') and the second is 'tree', so the meaning 'a tree that yields tung oil' is directly derivable from its parts. This follows the common English pattern (e.g. 'olive tree', 'apple tree'); even if 'tung-oil' is rare, a learner who knows the constituent words can predict the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Tung-oil tree is named for the oil made from its seeds. The word tung was a name for that oil and oil shows what people get from the tree, so the name means 'a tree that gives tung oil'.