Standard Lemma guide

crabapple

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈkɹæbˌæpəl/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of the wild species of apple tree, genus Malus, which generally yield small, bitter fruit (in comparison to domestic apples, Malus domestica).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: crab, crab tree, crabapple tree

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The fruit of this tree.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: crab

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An unpleasant person; a person who is crabby.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: grouch, grump, misery, moaner

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

small sour apple; suitable for preserving

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • crabapples make a tangy jelly

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: crab apple

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: apple

5

noun

Meaning 5

any of numerous wild apple trees usually with small acidic fruit

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: wild apple, crab apple

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: apple tree

Narrower terms: wild crab, Malus sylvestris, American crab apple, garland crab, Malus coronaria, Oregon crab apple, Malus fusca, Iowa crab, Iowa crab apple, prairie crab, western crab apple, Malus ioensis

6

noun

Meaning 6

any of numerous varieties of crab apples cultivated for their small acidic (usually bright red) fruit used for preserves or as ornamentals for their blossoms

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: crab apple, cultivated crab apple

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: apple tree

Narrower terms: Siberian crab, Siberian crab apple, cherry apple, cherry crab, Malus baccata, Southern crab apple, flowering crab, Malus angustifolia

History

Etymology

From crab (“wild apple”) + apple.

Across languages

Translations

58 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Basque: sagarmin — tree
  • Bulgarian: дива ябълка (diva jabǎlka) — tree
  • Catalan: pomera salvatge — tree
  • Cheyenne: náhkôhemenó'e — tree
  • Chinese Mandarin: 野蘋果 /野苹果 (yěpíngguǒ) — tree
  • Chinese Mandarin: 海棠 (hǎitáng) — tree
  • Cornish: gwedhen krabbys — tree
  • Faroese: apaldur — tree
  • Finnish: villiomenapuu — tree
  • Galician: maceira brava — tree
  • Georgian: მაჟალო (mažalo) — tree
  • German: Holzapfel — tree
  • Ingrian: metsäomenapuu — tree
  • Irish: crann fia-úll — tree
  • Latvian: mežābele — tree
  • Polish: dzika jabłoń — tree
  • Portuguese: macieira silvestre — tree
  • Russian: ди́кая я́блоня (díkaja jáblonja) — tree
  • Scottish Gaelic: fiadh-ubhal — tree
  • Spanish: manzano silvestre — tree
  • Swedish: vildapel — tree
  • Unami: tëmpikànakw — tree
  • Welsh: coeden afal bach sur — tree
  • Albanian: mollë e egër — fruit
  • Bulgarian: киселица (kiselica) — fruit
  • Chinese Mandarin: 野蘋果 /野苹果 (yěpíngguǒ) — fruit
  • Cornish: aval goodh — fruit
  • Danish: vildæble — fruit
  • Danish: skovæble — fruit
  • Esperanto: sovaĝa pomo — fruit
  • Finnish: villiomena — fruit
  • Galician: mazá brava — fruit
  • Georgian: მაჟალო (mažalo) — fruit
  • German: Holzapfel — fruit
  • Ingrian: metsäomena — fruit
  • Irish: fia-úll — fruit
  • Irish: úll fiáin — fruit
  • Irish: goirteog — fruit
  • Manx: gartag — fruit
  • Manx: ooyl feie — fruit
  • Plautdietsch: Paradiessaupel — fruit
  • Polish: dzikie jabłko — fruit
  • Portuguese: maçã silvestre — fruit
  • Russian: ди́кое я́блоко (díkoje jábloko) — fruit
  • Scottish Gaelic: fiadh-ubhal — fruit
  • Spanish: manzana silvestre — fruit
  • Spanish: sagarmín — fruit
  • Tagalog: alimangong mansanas — fruit
  • Unami: tëmpikàn — fruit
  • Welsh: afal bach sur — fruit
  • Welsh: crabysyn — fruit
  • Welsh: grobosyn — fruit
  • Winnebago: kšeesuksik — fruit
  • Chinese Mandarin: 乖戾的人 (guāilì de rén) — unpleasant person
  • Finnish: hapannaama — unpleasant person
  • Polish: nieprzyjemna osoba — unpleasant person
  • Russian: отморо́зок (otmorózok) — unpleasant person
  • Swedish: surkart — unpleasant person