fig-tree

A family enjoys the shade of a large fig-tree in their garden.

Definition

Noun: - A tree of the genus Ficus, especially Ficus carica, that produces figs. It is a deciduous tree native to the Middle East and western Asia, cultivated for its edible fruit.

Usage Examples

• (A specific tree that bears figs.)
• (A type of tree grown for its fruit.)

Advanced Usage

• "under one's own vine and fig-tree": a biblical idiom meaning to live in peace and security in one's own home.
  • After years of travel, he finally settled under his own vine and fig-tree. (He enjoyed a peaceful, settled life at home.)

Variants and Related Words

• Fig (n): the fruit of the fig-tree.
  • She ate a fresh fig from the tree. (The sweet, pear-shaped fruit.)
• Fig-leaf (n): a leaf of the fig-tree, often used metaphorically to conceal something.
  • The company used a fig-leaf of charity to hide its tax avoidance. (A metaphorical cover for something shameful.)

Synonyms

• Ficus: the botanical genus that includes fig-trees.
• Sycamore fig: a specific type of fig-tree (), common in the Middle East.

Related Idioms

• Not care a fig: to not care at all about something.
  • He didn't care a fig for the criticism. (He was completely indifferent.)

Phrasal Verbs

• (None directly associated with "fig-tree"; the word is primarily a noun.)