shrub

¹ American  

[shruhb] / ʃrʌb /

noun

1. a woody plant smaller than a tree, usually having multiple permanent stems branching from or near the ground.

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shrub ² American  

[shruhb] / ʃrʌb /

noun

1. any of various acidulated beverages made from the juice of fruit, sugar, and other ingredients, often including alcohol.

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shrub ¹ British  

/ ʃrʌb /

noun

1. a woody perennial plant, smaller than a tree, with several major branches arising from near the base of the main stem

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shrub ² British  

/ ʃrʌb /

noun

1. a mixed drink of rum, fruit juice, sugar, and spice

2. mixed fruit juice, sugar, and spice made commercially to be mixed with rum or other spirits

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shrub Scientific  

/ shrŭb /

1. A woody plant that is smaller than a tree, usually having several stems rather than a single trunk; a bush.

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Other Word Forms

• shrubless
  adjective
• shrublike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of shrub¹

before 1000; Middle English shrubbe, Old English scrybb brushwood; cognate with dialectal Danish skrub

Origin of shrub²

1740–50; < Arabic, metathetic variant of shurb drink; see sherbet

Explanation

A shrub is a short, tree-like plant with many stems or branches. If you want to tastefully spruce up your front yard, you might plant a flowering shrub or two — or maybe you're the type who would prefer some plastic garden gnomes. Shrubs are similar to trees with two exceptions: they are shorter and have more individual stems, rather than a wide, thick trunk. Some plants, like a hazelnut, can grow into either a shrub or a tree. You can also call a shrub a bush. The origin of shrub is a bit uncertain, but some experts believe it shares a Scandinavian root with the Norwegian skrubba, "dwarf tree."

Example Sentences

The paper looked at 40 years of data collected on 40 pronghorn herds residing in the Wyoming Basin Shrub Steppe.

From Science Daily • Mar. 12, 2024

I like Bittermens’ Hellfire Habanero Shrub, which is hot and tart; the Smoked Chili bitters from Hella and Fuego bitters from El Guapo are also good pepper-uppers.

From Washington Post • Apr. 20, 2023

Benjamin and his sister, Pamela, grew up in Lake Mahopac and Shrub Oak, N.Y.

From New York Times • Oct. 17, 2022

Shrubs are more delicious than they sound, but have inexplicably started appearing in hipster hangouts in New York and London – see the Shrub and Shutter restaurant in Brixton.

From The Guardian • Dec. 28, 2015

“Oh, Shrub, I know it’s hard. But even when he drives me lōlō, I love your dad. He’s my son. Always.”

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

Related Words

• foliage
• hedge
• shrubbery
• thicket
• topiary
• tree