ailanthus

[ ey-lan-thuhs ]

noun,plural ai·lan·thus·es.
  1. any tree belonging to the genus Ailanthus, of the quassia family, especially A. altissima, widely grown in cities.

Origin of ailanthus

1
1788; <New Latin Ailantus, Ailanthus (th by association with Greek ánthos flower) <Central Moluccan ai lanit(o), ai lanit(e), equivalent to ai tree, wood + lanit sky + -o, -e a definite article

Other words from ailanthus

  • ai·lan·thic, adjective

Words Nearby ailanthus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ailanthus in a sentence

  • I called his attention to the fact that the ailanthus lives only to express itself, while the maple gives sugar.

    Riviera Towns | Herbert Adams Gibbons
  • The house at the end of the lane could be glimpsed through its grove of locusts, paper mulberry and towering ailanthus.

    The Stronghold | Miriam Haynie
  • In the Balsam Poplar the buds are large, sharp-pointed, and gummy; in the ailanthus they cannot be seen.

  • Medium-sized tree (20 to 40 ft.), with ailanthus-like leaves which turn bright red in autumn, and remain long on the tree.

  • Cynthia will thrive on nothing except ailanthus, though it will eat one or two other things, but not oak.

British Dictionary definitions for ailanthus

ailanthus

/ (eɪˈlænθəs) /


nounplural -thuses
  1. an E Asian simaroubaceous deciduous tree, Ailanthus altissima, planted in Europe and North America, having pinnate leaves, small greenish flowers, and winged fruits: Also called: tree of heaven

Origin of ailanthus

1
C19: New Latin, from native name (in Amboina) ai lanto tree (of) the gods

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012