espalier

noun

es·pal·ier | \ i-ˈspal-yər

, -ˌyā\

Definition of espalier

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a plant (such as a fruit tree) trained to grow flat against a support (such as a wall)

2 : a railing or trellis on which fruit trees or shrubs are trained to grow flat

espalier

verb

espaliered; espaliering; espaliers

Definition of espalier (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to train as an espalier

2 : to furnish with an espalier

Examples of espalier in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Carlson espaliered fruit trees along the garage to squeeze more into the compact backyard. — Debbie Arrington, sacbee, "Think Sacramento feels like Iowa? They'd agree | The Sacramento Bee," 21 Apr. 2018 The Orange Home Grown Educational Farm plans a free workshop at 1 p.m. Jan. 14 on how to espalier fruit-bearing trees. — Orange County Register, "15 things to do this weekend in Orange County (Jan. 13-15)," 14 Jan. 2017 Orange Home Grown offers free classes once a month, often with master gardeners, such as one recently on how to espalier and another on composting. — Wendy Fawthrop, Orange County Register, "(Sub)urban farming," 19 May 2017

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