chinaberry

[ chahy-nuh-ber-ee ]

/ ˈtʃaɪ nəˌbɛr i /

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noun, plural chi·na·ber·ries.

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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Also called chinaberry tree, China tree.

Origin of chinaberry

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

Words nearby chinaberry

Chimu, chin, china, China aster, china bark, chinaberry, china blue, china, China, china clay, china closet, Chinagraph

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

How to use chinaberry in a sentence

Oleander, chinaberry trees, tobacco plants, and toadstools are all poisonous to these slow fellows.
How to turn your garden into a tortoise sanctuary|Natalie Wallington|September 21, 2021|Popular-Science
Across the street, in a chinaberry tree, a gang of sparrows are making a racket.
Stanley Booth on the Life and Hard Times of Blues Genius Furry Lewis|Stanley Booth|June 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In that country, in fact, I have never found a nest of this bird except in the dead, slanting limb of a chinaberry tree.
The Bird Study Book|Thomas Gilbert Pearson
In the figure the tree above the medicine lodge represents the chinaberry tree with its leaves and berries.
Calendar history of the Kiowa Indians. (1898 N 17 / 1895-1896 (pages 129-444))|James Mooney

In fact, one of the species is locally known as wild China and Chinaberry.
American Forest Trees|Henry H. Gibson
The last of the county returns was wired from distant Chinaberry Junction: Judson led by fifty-two votes!
Mountain|Clement Wood
But when she stopped beneath a big chinaberry-tree, to further scan the roll of money, her wonder was redoubled.
Bayou Folk|Kate Chopin

British Dictionary definitions for chinaberry

chinaberry

/ (ˈtʃaɪnəbərɪ) /

noun plural -ries

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

another name for soapberry

the fruit of any of these trees

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