crab apple

noun

a small, sour, wild apple.
any of various small, tart, cultivated varieties of apple, used for making jelly and preserves.
any tree bearing such fruit.

crab apple

any of several rosaceous trees of the genus Malus that have white, pink, or red flowers and small sour apple-like fruits
the fruit of any of these trees, used to make jam

First recorded in 1705–15

On a knoll the air is honeyed with wild crab-apple; along a slope the senses tingle with the scent of the green walnut.

Spiced crab-apple jelly is nice, too; you just add a bag of whole spices as it cooks.

The glen is strewn with limestone rocks, and at its head stands a twisted crab-apple tree.

To the crab-apple pulp, add the sugar, and place over the fire to boil.

Ecks was executing a series of caricatures illustrating the involution of Hodgkins' face back into a crab-apple.

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

Browse