| 1. | a purple-flowered Eurasian tree, Cercis siliquastrum, of the legume family, supposed to be the kind upon which Judas hanged himself. |
| 2. | any of various other trees of the same genus, as the redbud. |
| Judas tree n. See redbud. [From the belief that Judas Iscariot hanged himself on such a tree.] |
red·bud  (rěd'bŭd')  n. Any of several shrubs or small trees of the genus Cercis, having flat pods and pinkish flowers that bloom before the leaves appear. Also called Judas tree. |