cucumber tree

noun

any of several American magnolias, especially Magnolia acuminata, having ovate leaves, yellowish-green bell-shaped flowers, and dark red, conelike fruit.
any of certain other trees, as an East Indian tree of the genus Averrhoa.

Origin of cucumber tree

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85; so called from the resemblance of its fruit to cucumbers

Words nearby cucumber tree

cucullate, cucumber, cucumber beetle, cucumber mosaic, cucumber root, cucumber tree, cucurbit, cucurbit wilt, cucurbitaceous, cud, cuda

Example sentences from the Web for cucumber tree

  • To "sell one's lentils well" and to "climb the cucumber-tree" mean to get on in the world and make one's fortune quickly.

    King Matthias and the Beggar Boy |Nicholas Jsika

British Dictionary definitions for cucumber tree

cucumber tree

noun

any of several American trees or shrubs of the genus Magnolia, esp M. acuminata, of E and central North America, having cup-shaped greenish flowers and cucumber-shaped fruits
an E Asian tree, Averrhoa bilimbi, with edible fruits resembling small cucumbers: family Averrhoaceae See also carambola