chaparral

[ shap-uh-ral, chap- ]
See synonyms for chaparral on Thesaurus.com
nounSouthwestern U.S.
  1. a dense growth of shrubs or small trees.

Origin of chaparral

1
1835–45, Americanism;<Spanish, equivalent to chaparr(o) evergreen oak (<Basque tshapar) + -al collective suffix

Words Nearby chaparral

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

How to use chaparral in a sentence

  • Under his pony's bridle he had tucked some sprigs of chaparral to keep away the deer flies.

    Sixes and Sevens | O. Henry
  • The impetuous Gila rolled along its yellowish stream between two banks clothed with wood and thick chaparral.

British Dictionary definitions for chaparral

chaparral

/ (ˌtʃæpəˈræl, ˌʃæp-) /


noun
  1. (in the southwestern US) a dense growth of shrubs and trees, esp evergreen oaks

Origin of chaparral

1
C19: from Spanish, from chaparra evergreen oak

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