weeping willow

noun

1. an Asian willow, Salix babylonica, characterized by the drooping habit of its branches.

weeping willow

noun

1. a hybrid willow tree, Salix alba × S. babylonica , known as S. alba var. tristis , having long hanging branches: widely planted for ornament

Word History and Origins

Origin of weeping willow¹

First recorded in 1725–35

Example Sentences

By good fortune, instead of being carried past the island and down the river, he was able to catch hold of a low-hanging streamer of weeping willow and pull himself ashore.

From Literature

Next to one of Suzhou’s iconic canals lined with weeping willows sits a repair shop for tabletop electric motors.

From New York Times

Ms. Mori’s creations look like chimerical species — hybrids of barnacles and cumulus clouds, a baobab and a weeping willow, a waterlily and fiddlehead ferns, sea urchin spines and a swarm of starlings.

From New York Times

Valley shimmied up the weeping willow in Seven’s backyard, placed the pod, and slid down with the grace of a jaguar.

From Literature

I grew up in New Hampshire, where there are really old graveyards, and I just loved the oldest headstones with the winged skulls and weeping willow.

From New York Times