arbutus

[ ahr-byoo-tuh s ]

/ ɑrˈbyu təs /

noun, plural ar·bu·tus·es.

any of the evergreen shrubs or trees belonging to the genus Arbutus, of the heath family, especially A. unedo, of southern Europe, with scarlet berries, cultivated for ornament and food.

trailing arbutus.

Nearby words

arbus, arbus, diane, arbuscular mycorrhiza, arbuthnot, arbuthnot, john, arbutus, arbutus, trailing, arc, arc cos, arc cosecant, arc cosine

Origin of arbutus

1545–55; < New Latin, Latin: the wild strawberry tree

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for arbutus

Every hill is covered with Arbutus alpina, variegated with Andromeda crulea and Trientalis europa.
Lachesis Lapponica|Carl von Linn
And among them, brightest and greenest of them all, the arbutus!
A Little Tour In Ireland|S. Reynolds Hole
Colomba stopped before the heap of foliage, broke off an arbutus branch, and cast it on the pile.
Columba|Prosper Merimee
And Theophrastus tells us, "The (as he calls it) is the tree which bears the arbutus berry."
The Deipnosophists, or Banquet of the Learned of Athenus|Athenus

My goats eat cytisus, and goatswort, and tread the lentisk shoots, and lie at ease among the arbutus.
Theocritus, Bion and Moschus|Theocritus

British Dictionary definitions for arbutus

arbutus

/ (ɑːˈbjuːtəs) /

noun plural -tuses

any of several temperate ericaceous shrubs of the genus Arbutus, esp the strawberry tree of S Europe. They have clusters of white or pinkish flowers, broad evergreen leaves, and strawberry-like berries

See trailing arbutus

Word Origin for arbutus

C16: from Latin; related to arbor tree

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