Definition of BONSAI

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This is a living dwarf tree. The word bonsai can also refer to the art of training and growing these dwarf plants in containers. Bonsai specimens are ordinary trees and shrubs, not hereditary dwarfs; they are dwarfed by a system of pruning roots and branches and training branches by tying them with wire. The art originated in China, but has been pursued and developed primarily by the Japanese. The inspiration for bonsai is found in nature, in trees that grow in harsh, rocky places, and are dwarfed and gnarled throughout their existence. Bonsai may live for a century or more and can be handed down from one generation to another. Bonsai pots, usually earthenware and of variable shape, are carefully chosen to harmonize in color and proportion with the tree. A sizable bonsai industry exists as part of the nursery industry in Japan. California is home to a small-scale bonsai industry.

Examples of bonsai in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Powell herself has become an expert on the pruning and care for bonsai. — Philip Potempa, Post-Tribune, "Munster Garden Walk includes eclectic offerings in 2018," 13 June 2018 These stunning miniatures are like bonsai trees pruned with a switchblade. — Sam Sacks, WSJ, "Fiction: A Year in the Life of a Short Story," 28 Dec. 2018 The grounds also have four bonsai trees, each over 100 years old. — Elise Taylor, Vogue, "This Is the Best Boutique Hotel in the World," 9 Nov. 2018 The tree has long outlived its life expectancy — a bonsai typically doesn't live more than 200 years. — Lauren Smith, House Beautiful, "This Bonsai Tree Survived an Atomic Bomb," 7 Aug. 2015 According to the family, the bonsai tree was less than two miles away from the site of the bomb blast, which destroyed nearly 5 square miles of the Japanese city, and survived because it was located behind a nursery wall. — Lauren Smith, House Beautiful, "This Bonsai Tree Survived an Atomic Bomb," 7 Aug. 2015 McGillivray and Zhou have a few recommendations: Answering the door for the Seamless delivery man (and looking perfectly respectable while doing so), pruning your bonsai, or cooking paella. — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, "Is This the Comfiest Robe Ever? Introducing Offhours, and Their Wearable Duvet," 19 Oct. 2018 One of them has an Asian theme, with extraordinary bonsai, while another is planted with the cactuses and spiny plants of the American Southwestern desert. — New York Times, "Francine Prose on Montreal in the Spring: The Time of the Butterflies," 11 June 2018 The meeting, dubbed Jade Night will be a workshop on jade plants as bonsai. — Linda Mcintosh, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Gala raises $170K for Boys & Girls Club," 11 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bonsai.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.