chinaberry

American  

[chahy-nuh-ber-ee] / ˈtʃaɪ nəˌbɛr i /

noun

plural

chinaberries

1. a tree, Melia azedarach, of the mahogany family, native to Asia but widely planted elsewhere for its ornamental yellow fruits and long clusters of fragrant purplish flowers.

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chinaberry British  

/ ˈtʃaɪnəbərɪ /

noun

1. Also called: China tree.   azedarach.  a spreading Asian meliaceous tree, Melia azedarach, widely grown in the US for its ornamental white or purple flowers and beadlike yellow fruits

2. another name for soapberry

3. the fruit of any of these trees

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Etymology

Origin of chinaberry

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; China + berry

Example Sentences

She directed our little sister to a chinaberry tree with giant overhanging branches a few yards away.

From Literature

Jay was sitting under the chinaberry tree with a boy I didn’t know.

From Literature

“It was nothing but scrub trees, chinaberry and hackberry.”

From Washington Times

One of the old ladies from the residences yet to be converted to a rooming house was outside in her pink housecoat, sweeping chinaberries off her sidewalk.

From The New Yorker

Johnson makes baskets, intricate woven works of art fashioned out of materials that come courtesy of nature — longleaf pine needles, walnuts, corn husks, gourds, chinaberries.

From Washington Times