Definition of "bonsai" [bonsai]

• The art of growing dwarfed, ornamentally shaped trees or shrubs in small shallow pots or trays. (noun)
• A tree or shrub grown by this method. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "  "This variation of bonsai is Japanese Red Maple," the host explained."
• "The word bonsai is used in the West as an umbrella term for all miniature trees in containers or pots."
• "It's also used in small, desktop rock gardens and as a base in Japanese bonsai-tree kits."