madrone

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ma·dro·ne

or ma·dro·na (mə-drō′nə) also ma·dro·ño (-drō′nyō)

n. pl. ma·dro·nes or ma·dro·nas also ma·dro·ños

An evergreen tree (Arbutus menziesii) in the heath family, native to Pacific North America, having glossy leaves, small white flowers, flaky bark, and orange or red edible berries.

[American Spanish madroño, tree of the genus Arbutus, from Spanish, strawberry tree, from Old Spanish, from Mozarabic maṭroño, probably from earlier *armaṭrono (taken as Arabic al-, the + Mozarabic maṭroño), ultimately from alteration (perhaps influenced by Latin māteria, tree trunk, or mātūrus, ripe) of Vulgar Latin *arbutrus, alteration of Latin arbutus.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ma•dro•ne

or ma•dro•na

(məˈdroʊ nə)

also ma•dro•ño (-ˈdroʊn yoʊ)

n., pl. -nes or -nas, also -ños.

an evergreen tree, Arbutus menziesii, of the heath family, native to W North America, having red flaky bark and bearing edible reddish berries.

[1835–45, Amer.; < American Spanish]

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References in periodicals archive ?

The lone district of Romblon remains under the control of the Madronas, this time under former congressman Eleandro Jesus 'Budoy' Madrona.

Madrona (NP) garnered 86,218 votes against outgoing governor Eduardo Firmalo (LP) with 60,733 votes.

Madrona beats Romblon gov for Congress seat

An association called Save Magnolia's Madronas (named for Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood, where many of the city's prime specimens are found) is working with the city to protect the trees by directing foot traffic away from roots, mulching soil, and planting small madrones near larger, dying ones.

Also known as arbutus or madrona, these large, red-barked trees cling to the cliffs above Puget Sound like well-muscled rock climbers.