mountain ash

noun

: any of various deciduous trees or shrubs (genus Sorbus) of the rose family with pinnate leaves and small usually white flowers in terminal corymbs and small red or orange-red berrylike fruits that are pomes see american mountain ash, european mountain ash

Examples of mountain ash in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web So are ornamental species such as spirea, mountain ash, goatsbeard, and ninebark. Deb Wiley, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Feb. 2024 Dingle uses, amongst other botanicals, rowan berry from the mountain ash trees, fuchsia, bog myrtle, hawthorn and heather for a taste of the Irish landscape. Claudia Alarcón, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 The timberlands here are rich and varied: maple, oak, beech, birch, mountain ash, and the placer gold of timber, red spruce, prized by the lumber mills for its grain, strength, and beauty. Mark Orwoll, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2023 Over the past 40 or 50 years, urban beautification efforts and ornamental tree promotion to attract birds mean that Anchorage has thousands of mountain ash trees, said Sinnott, the biologist. Morgan Krakow, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Feb. 2023 In another study, researchers found that certain trees and shrubs were more prone to damage, including the oak, maple, mountain ash, ornamental cherry, hawthorn and rose, though the cicada is drawn to a wide array of native and nonnative woody plants. Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2021 Question: Swarms of Bohemian waxwings just swooped in and cleaned out every single berry from the two mountain ash trees in our yard. Morgan Krakow, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Feb. 2023 Fahrenheit, even the wet mountain ash forests were set ablaze. Linda Marsa, Discover Magazine, 25 Mar. 2012 The tallest living mountain ash, found in Tasmania, is about 330 feet tall. Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mountain ash.' 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

1597, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mountain ash was in 1597

Dictionary Entries Near mountain ash

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

mountain ash

noun
: any of various trees related to the roses and having leaves divided into numerous leaflets and red or orange-red fruits

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