service tree

American  

noun

1. either of two European trees, Sorbus domestica, bearing a small, acid fruit that is edible when overripe, or S. torminalis wild service tree, bearing a similar fruit.

2. serviceberry.

---

service tree British  

noun

1. Also called: sorb.  a Eurasian rosaceous tree, Sorbus domestica, cultivated for its white flowers and brown edible apple-like fruits

2. a similar and related Eurasian tree, Sorbus torminalis

---

Etymology

Origin of service tree

First recorded in 1535–45

Example Sentences

Outside one could hear the noisy twittering of the sparrows in the branches of the service tree, whose foliage shot through the broken panes.

From Abbe Mouret's Transgression by Zola, Émile

Yes, Boris, I loved books and my gymnasium, the ancients and the moderns, my scholars, and you, Boris; I loved the street, this hedge, the service tree there, only through my love for her.

From The Precipice by Goncharov, Ivan Aleksandrovich

A service tree laden with sweet red fruit stood in front of her, and she passed it by.

From Indian Legends Retold by Eastman, Elaine Goodale