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Definition 2024


tree_lawn

tree lawn

See also: treelawn

English

The tree-lined grassy area to the right is a tree lawn

Noun

tree lawn (plural tree lawns)

  1. (Midwestern US) The grassy area between the sidewalk and the street.
    • 1998, D. Gail Abbey, U.S. Landscape Ordinances: An Annotated Reference Handbook:
      Detached sidewalks generally occur in residential areas and are normally separated from the curb by a tree lawn.

Usage notes

Designation of this area varies significantly from dialect to dialect; some dialects and idiolects do not include a term for this area,[1] and instead use a circumlocution.[2] The most common designations are "planting strip", "parking strip", "nature strip" and "tree lawn".

Synonyms

(grassy area between sidewalk and street): berm (regional, with other meanings), curb strip, devil strip / devil's strip (Akron, Ohio), nature strip (Australia), parkway (Chicago, Illinois) parking strip, planting strip, sidewalk buffer, utility strip, verge (England, Australia, New Zealand), neutral ground

See also

Translations

References

  1. The triumph of slang (dead link) , John A. C. Greppin, 2002-02-01
  2. Full Metal Racket: The perverse thrill of metal detecting, the world's worst hobby., by Emily Yoffe, Slate, 2003-08-18, refers to the area as “the grassy strip that runs along the street side of many D.C. sidewalks”.