peppertree

noun

pep·​per·​tree ˈpe-pər-ˌtrē How to pronounce peppertree (audio)
: a South American evergreen tree (Schinus molle) of the cashew family grown as a shade tree in mild climates

Examples of peppertree in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
On a recent scorching day, the cascading branches of a California peppertree enveloped a dozen children attending Arroyo Nature School. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 18 Sep. 2024 Brazilian peppertrees, an invader that is among Florida’s most damaging flora, also impeded us; they had been sprayed in an attempt to get rid of them, and thorny vines had taken over their dead branches. Gena Steffens, Smithsonian, 11 July 2019 Yet the despised peppertree might turn out to be medically valuable. National Geographic, 15 Feb. 2017 In the meantime, the peppertree results—like earlier work that Quave and her collaborators performed with extracts from the European chestnut tree— National Geographic, 15 Feb. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of peppertree was in 1848

Dictionary Entries Near peppertree

Cite this Entry

“Peppertree.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peppertree. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

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