weeping willow

American  

noun

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

---

weeping willow British  

noun

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

---

Etymology

Origin of weeping willow

First recorded in 1725–35

Example Sentences

At the entrance to the Planet Word museum in Washington, D.C., stands a remarkable sculpture designed to resemble a weeping willow.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2022

About 400 metres from ground zero in Hiroshima, a weeping willow and other plants regrew from their roots.

From Nature • Mar. 3, 2020

She is tall, with straight brown hair and long arms that dangle, a little comically, like the boughs of a weeping willow.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 14, 2015

Tatyana Brown, in Sue Schleipman-Burke’s art class, quickly set to making her favorite tree, a weeping willow in Forest Park.

From Washington Times • Jun. 21, 2015

Valley shimmied up the weeping willow in Seven’s backyard, placed the pod, and slid down with the grace of a jaguar.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega