espalier

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espalier

/ɪˈspalɪə/ UK
/-ˈpæl.i.eɪ/ UK
/ɛs-/ UK
/ɪˈspæl.jɚ/ US
/-jeɪ/ US
/ɛsˈpæl-/ US

Where it comes from

Borrowed from French espalier, from Italian spalliera, from spalla (“shoulder”).

noun espaliers

A latticework used to shape or train the branches of a tree or shrub into a two-dimensional ornamental or useful design, as along a wall or fence. The garment stalls carried the traditional blue vine-dressers' outfits, sunhats, and the great willow pitchforks grown in espalier at villages like Sauve.
A plant that has been shaped in this manner. It is on this rocky surface that one finds many of the growth forms associated with extreme life conditions: polsters, mat plants, espaliers.
A row of plants that have been shaped in this manner. Often some night-animal, hedgehog or weasel, setting out on the hunt, disturbed the lovers, or sometimes they heard a ripe peach falling all alone from the espalier.

verb espaliers · espaliering · espaliered

transitive To train a plant in this manner.

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Cite this

MLA

"espalier." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/espalier. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

espalier. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/espalier

Chicago

"espalier." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/espalier.

BibTeX

@misc{espalier_2026,
  title = {espalier},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/espalier},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}