espalier
Americannoun
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a trellis or framework on which the trunk and branches of fruit trees or shrubs are trained to grow in one plane.
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a plant so trained.
verb (used with object)
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to train on an espalier.
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to furnish with an espalier.
noun
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an ornamental shrub or fruit tree that has been trained to grow flat, as against a wall
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the trellis, framework, or arrangement of stakes on which such plants are trained
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the method used to produce such plants
verb
Etymology
Origin of espalier
1655–65; < French, Middle French: trellis < Italian spalliera back rest, espalier, equivalent to spall ( a ) shoulder, support + -iera -ier 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Uruguay's Foreign Minister, Jos� Espalier, a fluent orator who was trained for the law but never practiced it, who at 70 looks like anything but the rich man that he is.
From Time Magazine Archive
Espalier trees should have the branches about a foot apart, starting from the stem with an upward curve, and then being trained horizontally.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1 "Châtelet" to "Chicago" by Various
The carnations nodded to one another against the stone wall that was clothed with Espalier pear trees.
From The Green Carnation by Hichens, Robert Smythe
Espalier Rails.—Subsidiary to walls as a means of training fruit trees, espalier rails were formerly much employed, and are still used in many gardens.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 7 "Horticulture" to "Hudson Bay" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
