▪ I. ˈcrab-tree1
[f. crab n.2]
1. The wild apple-tree.
| c 1425 Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 646 Hec arbutus, crabtre. 1481 in Ripon Ch. Acts 340 Duos crabtrees crescentes. 1523 Fitzherb. Husb. §134 To sell..the crabbe-trees to myllers, to make cogges and ronges. 1562 Turner Herbal ii. 47 b, An Appel tre..is called..in y⊇ Southe Countre, a Crab tre. 1607 Shakes. Cor. ii. i. 205 We haue Some old Crab-trees here at home, That will not be grafted to your Rallish. 1703 Steele Tend. Husb. i. iii, There's a crabtree, near our house, which..has brush'd our jackets, from Father to son for several generations. 1794 Southey Retrospect, The crab-tree, which supplied a secret hoard With roasted crabs to deck the wintry board. |
2. attrib. a. Of or pertaining to the crab-tree. b. Resembling a crab-tree; crooked, knotted.
| 1523 Fitzherb. Husb. §137 Graffe it in a crabbe-tree stocke. 1597–8 Bp. Hall Sat. (Britten & Holl.), The crab-tree porter of the Guild Hall gates. 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, v. iv. 7 Fetch me a dozen Crab-tree staues, and strong ones. 1678 Bunyan Pilgr. (ed. 2, 1879) i. 105 He getteth him a grievous Crab-tree Cudgel..and beats them fearfully. 1886 Pall Mall G. 1 May 7/1 The cadets suffered themselves to be beaten with a crabtree stick. |
c. Comb., as crab-tree-faced, crab-tree-like adjs.
| 1563 B. Googe Eglogs (Arb.) 117 Of bodie bygge and strong he was and somwhat *Crabtre faced. c 1600 Day Begg. Bednall Gr. ii. ii, I lik'd him not, he had such a crabtree-fac'd countenance. 1607 T. Walkington Opt. Glass 55 Zeno the crabbe-tree-fac'd Stoicke. |
| 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 237 As your body is crooked, *crabtree like, and growen out of all order, so your mynde is. |
▪ II. crab-tree2
see crab n.3