cercis

[ sur-sis ]

noun

any shrub or small tree of the genus Cercis, as the redbud or Judas tree.

Origin of cercis

<New Latin (Linnaeus) <Greek kerkís redbud, literally, weaver's shuttle (perhaps after the shape of the fruit), derivative of kérkos tail

Words Nearby cercis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cercis in a sentence

Texas Redbud (cercis reniformis) differs somewhat from the common redbud, but it takes a botanist to point out the differences.
American Forest Trees | Henry H. Gibson
But as all our genera, save cercis, fall under the first, we shall describe that only.
The Wild Flowers of California: Their Names, Haunts, and Habits | Mary Elizabeth Parsons

British Dictionary definitions for cercis

cercis

/ (ˈsɜːsɪs) /

noun

any tree or shrub of the leguminous genus Cercis, which includes the redbud and Judas tree

Origin of cercis

C19: New Latin, from Greek kerkis weaver's shuttle, Judas 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

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