noun
Pollard
POL-uhd
noun
1
A tree that has been pruned back hard to the trunk so it grows a dense crown of new shoots.
"The old willows along the canal had all been cut into pollards."
verb
1
To prune a tree this way, cutting it back to the trunk to encourage bushy new growth.
"The gardeners pollard the plane trees every winter to keep them from blocking the light."
How to Use Pollard
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo cut a tree's branches right back to encourage a thick new crown, or a tree treated this way.
Word Forms
pollarded past tense, pollards plural, pollards singular
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The old willows along the canal had all been cut into _____.
Etymology
From Middle English poll ("head") plus the suffix -ard (as in "drunkard"), originally describing an animal or tree with its "head" — horns or crown — cut off.