Suffrutex

//ˈsʌfɹuːtɛks// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A subshrub.

    "Till and manure thy Fields, ſow them with thy Seeds; extirpate noxious and unprofitable Herbs; guard them from the Invaſion and Spoil of Beaſts; clear and fence in thy Meadows and Paſtures; dreſs and prune thy Vines, and ſo rank and diſpoſe them as is moſt ſuitable to the Climate; plant thee Orchards, with all Sorts of Fruit-Trees, in ſuch Order as may be moſt beautiful to the Eye, and moſt comprehenſive of Plants; Gardens for culinary Herbs, and all Kinds of Salleting; for delectable Flowers, to gratify the Eye with their agreeable Colours and Figures, and thy Scent with their fragrant Odours; for Odoriferous and Ever-green Shrubs and Suffrutices; for Exotick and Medicinal Plants of all Sorts; and diſpoſe them in that comely Order, as may be both pleaſant to behold, and commodious for Acceſs."

  2. 2
    low-growing woody shrub or perennial with woody base wordnet

Example

More examples

"Till and manure thy Fields, ſow them with thy Seeds; extirpate noxious and unprofitable Herbs; guard them from the Invaſion and Spoil of Beaſts; clear and fence in thy Meadows and Paſtures; dreſs and prune thy Vines, and ſo rank and diſpoſe them as is moſt ſuitable to the Climate; plant thee Orchards, with all Sorts of Fruit-Trees, in ſuch Order as may be moſt beautiful to the Eye, and moſt comprehenſive of Plants; Gardens for culinary Herbs, and all Kinds of Salleting; for delectable Flowers, to gratify the Eye with their agreeable Colours and Figures, and thy Scent with their fragrant Odours; for Odoriferous and Ever-green Shrubs and Suffrutices; for Exotick and Medicinal Plants of all Sorts; and diſpoſe them in that comely Order, as may be both pleaſant to behold, and commodious for Acceſs."

Etymology

From the scientific Latin suffrutex. Cognate with the Italian suffrutice and the Spanish sufrútice.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.