weeping willow

noun

an Asian willow, Salix babylonica, characterized by the drooping habit of its branches.

Origin of weeping willow

First recorded in 1725–35

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for weeping willow

Historical Examples of weeping willow

Therese had dug a grave during the night at the foot of a weeping-willow.
Timar's Two Worlds
Mr Jkai
No vegetation visible yet but the red maple, weeping-willow, and lilac.
Memoir, Correspondence, And Miscellanies, From The Papers Of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
It was of a lady leaning against an urn, a weeping-willow tree near by.
A Dear Little Girl's Thanksgiving Holidays
Amy E. Blanchard
Tess watched him stagger along the shore through the rain, the shadows of the weeping-willow trees at last swallowing him up.
Tess of the Storm Country
Grace Miller White
He went into the house, lighted his lamp, sat down, read the letter; he went out and stood under the weeping-willow.
An Arkansas Planter
Opie Percival Read

British Dictionary definitions for weeping willow

weeping willow

noun

a hybrid willow tree, Salix alba × S. babylonica, known as S. alba var. tristis, having long hanging branches: widely planted for ornament

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