arbutus

[ ahr-byoo-tuhs ]

/ ɑrˈbyu təs /

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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.

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Origin of arbutus

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

Words nearby arbutus

Arbroath, arbtrn., Arbus, arbuscular mycorrhiza, Arbuthnot, arbutus, arc, arca, arcade, arcaded, arcade game

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use arbutus in a sentence

She lifted a small cluster of trailing arbutus and gave it to David.
Patchwork|Anna Balmer Myers
Fancy living where you never saw any arbutus or had the joy of picking them.
Patchwork|Anna Balmer Myers
She placed the box of arbutus in the garden path and laid her hand on his arm.
Patchwork|Anna Balmer Myers
Oh, the young arbutus-trees all radiant and breathing in the light!
The Child of Pleasure|Gabriele D'Annunzio

Colomba stopped before the heap of foliage, broke off an arbutus branch, and cast it on the pile.
Columba|Prosper Merimee

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