Osage orange
noun
: an ornamental usually thorny U.S. tree (Maclura pomifera) of the mulberry family with shiny ovate leaves and hard bright orange wood
also
: its yellowish-green globose fruit
Examples of Osage orange in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Anecdotal evidence suggests that some anachronistic fruits – such as the weird, bumpy-textured and softball-size Osage orange – were dispersed by ancient megafauna such as giant ground sloths.
—
Aditya Reddy Kurre, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2025
Despite their unappetizing taste and tough texture, Osage orange fruits may still offer surprising benefits.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
Nearby, a bulldozer cleared ground for new homes not far from a Osage orange tree, a stately hardwood where Hurd once crashed his bicycle as a boy.
—Dianne Solis, Dallas News, 3 May 2023
Pity the poor Osage orange tree.
—Discover Magazine, 29 June 2010
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Aditya Reddy Kurre, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2025
Despite their unappetizing taste and tough texture, Osage orange fruits may still offer surprising benefits.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
Nearby, a bulldozer cleared ground for new homes not far from a Osage orange tree, a stately hardwood where Hurd once crashed his bicycle as a boy.
—Dianne Solis, Dallas News, 3 May 2023
Pity the poor Osage orange tree.
—Discover Magazine, 29 June 2010
Cite this Entry
“Osage orange.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Osage%20orange. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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