DEFINITIONS
The
2019 WORD
OF THE YEAR is...

silver bell

noun

any North American shrub or small tree belonging to the genus Halesia, of the storax family, having toothed leaves and drooping white, bell-shaped flowers.

Words nearby silver bell

silvassa, silver, silver age, silver bass, silver beet, silver bell, silver belly, silver birch, silver bromide, silver bullet, silver certificate

Origin of silver bell

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85
Also called silver-bell tree.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for silver bell

  • The flowers of trees give names to tulip tree, silver-bell tree, and fringe tree.

    Trees Worth Knowing|Julia Ellen Rogers

British Dictionary definitions for silver bell

silver bell

noun

any of various deciduous trees of the styracaceous genus Halesia, esp H. carolina, of North America and China, having white bell-shaped flowersAlso called: snowdrop tree
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