Japanese maple

noun

: a maple (Acer palmatum) of Japan, China, and Korea with purple flowers and usually deeply parted leaves that is widely cultivated as a shrub or small tree

Examples of Japanese maple in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web My Japanese maples are unfurling, and leaves are appearing on most of my deciduous shrubs. Janet B. Carson, arkansasonline.com, 4 Mar. 2024 The Japanese maple houses the little nest from the hummingbirds last year. Lauren Goode, WIRED, 29 Feb. 2024 In addition to showcasing some of the state’s most stunning blooms in an authentic Japanese setting, the Richard & Helen Devos Japanese Garden has a contemplative Zen-style garden, waterfalls, bonsai trees, Japanese maple trees, and serviceberry trees — the latter also bloom in spring. Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 23 Feb. 2024 Clyde: The 85-acre campus arboretum of Haywood Community College has a small Oriental garden with reed grass, Japanese maple and a meditation pond. Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 Henri loudly praised my mother’s vol-au-vents, my father’s wine selection, the house, the furniture, our car, and the Japanese maple out front; Marie-Céleste nodded and smiled. Lucy Sante, The New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2023 The peak season in Kyoto is generally around mid to late November when many visit the stunning zen gardens at Buddhist temples and their colouring momiji (Japanese maple) trees. 7. Tokyo Halfie, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2023 The East-West theme is picked up in the Enzo Enea designed courtyard garden, where English style cascading ivy and wisteria are paired with two 120-year-old Japanese maples. Linda Laban, Robb Report, 12 Sep. 2023 The Fort Worth Botanic Garden’s Japanese Garden is a traditional strolling garden, with more than seven acres of cherry trees, Japanese maples, magnolias, bamboo, bridges and koi ponds. Ryan Conner, Dallas News, 24 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Japanese maple.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Japanese maple was in 1898

Dictionary Entries Near Japanese maple

Cite this Entry

“Japanese maple.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Japanese%20maple. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Japanese maple

noun
: a maple native to Japan, China, and Korea with usually green, red, or purplish leaves

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