Definitions

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

  • noun An evergreen tree (Arbutus menziesii) in the heath family, native to Pacific North America, having glossy leaves, small white flowers, flaky bark, and orange or red edible berries.

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

  • noun The strawberry tree.

Etymologies

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

[American Spanish madroño, tree of the genus Arbutus, from Spanish, strawberry tree, from Old Spanish, from Mozarabic maṭroño, probably from earlier *armaṭrono (taken as Arabic al-, the + Mozarabic maṭroño), ultimately from alteration (perhaps influenced by Latin māteria, tree trunk, or mātūrus, ripe) of Vulgar Latin *arbutrus, alteration of Latin arbutus.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Anglicization of Spanish madroño.

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Examples

  • The bar's list of wines describes Palin Syrah as: tastes of "white pepper" and "madrone" - an evergreen found in the Pacific Northwest.

    dailyindia.com News Feed 2008

  • Here and there that woods harlequin, the madrone, permitting itself to be caught in the act of changing its pea-green trunk to madder-red, breathed its fragrance into the air from great clusters of waxen bells.

    All Gold Canon 2010

  • Her hair was behind her, it went all the way down her back; her skin was as red brown and polished as madrone.

    Three Stages of Amazement Carol Edgarian 2011

  • Overlooked in the environmental review process was the fact that the site contains many Pacific madrone trees which are in serious decline in the Northwest.

    Extra Fizz: State Budget Includes $15 Million to Buy Mine on Maury Island « PubliCola 2010

  • Maggie followed Cal into the farthest office, with its view of a madrone grove.

    Three Stages of Amazement Carol Edgarian 2011

  • Her hair was behind her, it went all the way down her back; her skin was as red brown and polished as madrone.

    Three Stages of Amazement Carol Edgarian 2011

  • If the site is preserved this will be a valuable addition to preserving native vegetation and habitat for wildlife which are associated with the Pacific madrone trees.

    Extra Fizz: State Budget Includes $15 Million to Buy Mine on Maury Island « PubliCola 2010

  • Maggie followed Cal into the farthest office, with its view of a madrone grove.

    Three Stages of Amazement Carol Edgarian 2011

  • Here and there that woods harlequin, the madrone, permitting itself to be caught in the act of changing its pea-green trunk to madder-red, breathed its fragrance into the air from great clusters of waxen bells.

    All Gold Cañon 2010

  • All these rock formations are in pine-madrone-cactus forest - a vegetation designation not found in any world classification but particularly appropriate to this area!

    Hats off to Sombrerete in the state of Zacatecas 2008

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