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Definition of osage orange

osage orange

Plural:Osage oranges
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• noun

1

American A small deciduous tree (Maclura pomifera) of the mulberry family, native to the south-central United States, known for its extremely hard, durable wood historically used by Native Americans to craft bows.

Example

"Farmers frequently planted rows of Osage orange trees to create natural, thorny hedges that would contain livestock."

2

American The large, wrinkled, yellowish-green fruit produced by the Osage orange tree, which resembles a rough-textured citrus fruit but is generally considered inedible for humans.

Example

"During autumn, the ground beneath the tree is often littered with heavy, grapefruit-sized Osage oranges."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for osage orange

• Nearby Words

oryx
orzo
osage copperhead
osage orange
osaka
oscar
oscar fish

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Osage orange. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/osage-orange
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