Definition of espalier
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
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Origin and Etymology of espalier
French, ultimately from Italian spalla shoulder, from Late Latin spatula shoulder blade — more at epaulet
espalier
Definition of espalier
transitive verb
1 : to train as an espalier
2 : to furnish with an espalier
Recent Examples of espalier from the Web
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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.
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.
First Known Use of espalier
1810
Learn More about espalier
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See words that rhyme with espalier Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about espalier
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