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Definition of kousa dogwood
kousa dogwood
Plural:kousa dogwoods
kousa dogwood Lexical Profile
CEFR
C1
Grade
10
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
A small deciduous tree native to East Asia, widely cultivated as an ornamental plant for its showy, star-shaped white or pink floral bracts, distinctively mottled exfoliating bark, and red, edible autumn fruit.
Example
"We planted a Kousa dogwood in the front yard because it blooms a few weeks later than the native species and is highly resistant to disease."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for kousa dogwoodWord Origin & Etymology
The word 'kousa' comes from the Japanese common name for the plant. 'Dogwood' likely derives from the Old English 'dagwood', referring to the hard, dense wood historically used for making daggers, skewers, or arrows.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Kousa dogwood. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 13, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/kousa dogwood