Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A tree or shrub that is trained to grow in a flat plane against a wall or trellis, often in a symmetrical pattern.
  • noun A trellis or other framework on which an espalier is grown.
  • transitive verb To train as or on an espalier.
  • transitive verb To provide with an espalier.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To train on or protect by an espalier, as a tree or trees.
  • noun In horticulture: A trelliswork of various forms on which the branches of fruit-trees or -bushes are extended horizontally, in fan shape, etc., in a single plane, with the object of securing for the plant a freer circulation of air as well as better exposure to the sun.
  • noun A tree or plant trained on such a trellis or system. Trees trained as espaliers are not subjected to such abrupt variations of temperature as wall-trees.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Hort.) A railing or trellis upon which fruit trees or shrubs are trained, as upon a wall; a tree or row of trees so trained.
  • transitive verb To form an espalier of, or to protect by an espalier.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A latticework used to shape or train the branches of a tree or shrub into a two-dimensional ornamental or useful design, as along a wall or fence.
  • noun A plant that has been shaped in this manner.
  • verb To train a plant in this manner.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a trellis on which ornamental shrub or fruit tree is trained to grow flat

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, from Italian spalliera, shoulder support, from spalla, shoulder, from Late Latin spatula, shoulder blade, from Latin; see spatula.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French espalier, from Italian spalliera, from spalla ("shoulder").

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