chinaberry

English

Etymology

fruit of the chinaberry (Melia azedarach)

From China + berry.

Noun

chinaberry (plural chinaberries)

  1. (US) The bead tree or azedarach, Melia azedarach, a deciduous tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae, native to India, southern China and Australia, or its fruit.
  2. (US) The soapberry (genus Sapindus, especially Sapindus saponaria), native to the Americas.
    • 1968, Charles Portis, True Grit:
      ‘The toilet is out back directly behind the chinaberry tree.’
  3. (US) Actaea rubra, a poisonous herbaceous flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to North America.

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Translations

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