topiary

views updated May 29 2018

to·pi·ar·y / ˈtōpēˌerē/ • n. (pl. -ar·ies) the art or practice of clipping shrubs or trees into ornamental shapes. ∎  shrubs or trees clipped into ornamental shapes in such a way: a cottage surrounded by topiary and flowers.DERIVATIVES: to·pi·ar·i·an / ˌtōpēˈe(ə)rēən/ adj.to·pi·a·rist / -ərist/ n.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

topiary

views updated May 21 2018

topiary pert. to the trimming of shrubs into ornamental or fantastic shapes. XVI. — F. topiaire — L. topiārius, f. topia fancy or landscape gardening — Gr. tópia, pl. of tópion, dim. of tópos place; see -ARY.
Hence sb. XX.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

topiary

views updated Jun 08 2018

topiary Practice of trimming densely leaved evergreen shrubs and trees into decorative artificial shapes.

World Encyclopedia

More From encyclopedia.com

About this article

topiary work

All Sources -
Updated Aug 24 2016 About encyclopedia.com content Print Topic

You Might Also Like