chinaberry

[ chahy-nuh-ber-ee ]

noun,plural chi·na·ber·ries.
  1. a tree, Melia azedarach, of the mahogany family, native to Asia but widely planted elsewhere for its ornamental yellow fruits and long clusters of fragrant purplish flowers.

Origin of chinaberry

1
An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; China + berry
  • Also called chinaberry tree, China tree.

Words Nearby chinaberry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use chinaberry in a sentence

  • The last of the county returns was wired from distant chinaberry Junction: Judson led by fifty-two votes!

    Mountain | Clement Wood
  • But when she stopped beneath a big chinaberry-tree, to further scan the roll of money, her wonder was redoubled.

    Bayou Folk | Kate Chopin

British Dictionary definitions for chinaberry

chinaberry

/ (ˈtʃaɪnəbərɪ) /


nounplural -ries
  1. Also called: China tree, azedarach a spreading Asian meliaceous tree, Melia azedarach, widely grown in the US for its ornamental white or purple flowers and beadlike yellow fruits

  2. another name for soapberry

  1. the fruit of any of these trees

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012