crab apple

American  

noun

1. a small, sour, wild apple.

2. any of various small, tart, cultivated varieties of apple, used for making jelly and preserves.

3. any tree bearing such fruit.

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crab apple British  

noun

1. any of several rosaceous trees of the genus Malus that have white, pink, or red flowers and small sour apple-like fruits

2. the fruit of any of these trees, used to make jam

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Etymology

Origin of crab apple

First recorded in 1705–15

Example Sentences

"Joe, who works for me, came in and he had one little crab apple," Dame Judi told the BBC.

From BBC • Dec. 27, 2024

So I chose a crab apple instead, a reminder of my earliest tree memory — indeed my earliest memory, period — which was of a crab apple with pink blossoms.

From Washington Post • Jan. 19, 2023

She looked out at her crab apple tree and the rolling green fields.

From New York Times • Oct. 19, 2021

The account shared a photo that some said was taken from a vantage point that neglected to show how the cherry blossom and crab apple trees were removed.

From Salon • Aug. 9, 2021

And then I sprint to the crab apple tree that’s first base.

From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan