A small tree or large shrub; a woody plant of intermediate size between a shrub and a tree.
From Latin 'arbuscula,' diminutive of 'arbor' (tree), literally meaning 'small tree.' Used in botany to describe plants that are neither quite shrubs nor quite trees.
Botanists love this Latin diminutive—it's precise in ways everyday English isn't, allowing scientists to describe the awkward in-between plants that don't fit neatly into 'shrub' or 'tree' categories.
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