| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| bonsai |
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| SYLLABICATION: | bon·sai |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  b n-s  , bns , -z |
| NOUN: | Inflected forms: pl. bonsai
1. The art of growing dwarfed, ornamentally shaped trees or shrubs in small shallow pots or trays. 2. A tree or shrub grown by this method. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Japanese, potted plant : bon, basin (from Middle Chinese b n) + sai, to plant (from Middle Chinese tsj, tsaj).
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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