Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of several deciduous Asian trees of the genus Ailanthus, especially the tree of heaven.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Any of several
deciduous Asiatic trees , of the genusAilanthus , including thetree of heaven
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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"I am sure I told you that they would not live here in the open air, but they do in China; and the ailanthus is a Chinese tree.
Among the Trees at Elmridge Ella Rodman Church
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A giant ailanthus tree, at least fifty feet tall, was growing up right between the derelict seats.
The Lampshade Mark Jacobson 2010
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I was hoping to find a crack in the pavement where my ailanthus of a poem could take root.
THE ANTHOLOGIST Nicholson Baker 2009
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I was hoping to find a crack in the pavement where my ailanthus of a poem could take root.
THE ANTHOLOGIST Nicholson Baker 2009
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People walking their dogs go by or wait while their inquisitive pets sniff around the ailanthus in front of the house.
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When I read how many thousands of dollars a city like New York has to spend to keep underground water pipes free of ailanthus, ginko, and sycamore roots, I cannot help but give a little cheer.
Nature & Environment 2006
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They saw the ailanthus jungle and the smash heap of mortified cars and they looked at the six-story slab of painted angels with streamers rippled above their cherub heads.
Underworld Don Delillo 2008
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Close-set buildings, laundry lines, slant light, patches of weeds, a few would-be gardens and bare ailanthus trees and the fire escapes that fixed fretwork patterns of light and shade on the walls and paved surfaces.
Underworld Don Delillo 2008
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I crossed a vacant lot, a parking lot filled with cinders and broken glass and longed for an ailanthus tree to break the prison-gray walls and ground all around.
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When I read how many thousands of dollars a city like New York has to spend to keep underground water pipes free of ailanthus, ginko, and sycamore roots, I cannot help but give a little cheer.
Nature & Environment 2006
chained_bear commented on the word ailanthus
"Booth remained on his horse under the cover of a shaggy ailanthus tree in the yard."
—James L. Swanson, Manhunt: The 12-Day Search for Lincoln's Killer, 164
May 29, 2008