shrub

¹

[shruhb]

noun

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

shrub

²

[shruhb]

noun

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

shrub

¹

/ ʃrʌb /

noun

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

shrub

²

/ 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

shrub

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

Other Word Forms

• shrublike adjective
• shrubless adjective

Word History and Origins

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; sherbet

Word History and Origins

Origin of shrub¹

Old English scrybb; related to Middle Low German schrubben coarse, uneven, Old Swedish skrubba to _scrub ¹

Origin of shrub²

C18: from Arabic sharāb, variant of shurb drink; see _sherbet

Example Sentences

Ibogaine, which is derived from a West African shrub, is a Schedule 1 drug in America with no legal medical uses, and experts urge caution because of the need for further studies.

From Los Angeles Times

The agency’s website includes a long list of acceptable plants, which, unlike many such sites, starts with a long list of California native shrubs, grasses and ground covers that Guerrero compiled.

From Los Angeles Times

But four years later, the yard and parkway are a thick tangle of grasses, green shrubs and vibrant flowers, as Kolding makes clear in an endearing short documentary film about their new landscape.

From Los Angeles Times

But he was shocked by photos he saw of shrubs growing right up against the windows of the lodge, which is an invitation for disaster during a wildfire.

From Los Angeles Times

Roosevelt’s take on this framed a series of looping paths with low shrubs and wildflowers.

From Salon

Related Words

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