Definition of "bottlebrush" [bottlebrush]

• Any of various Australian shrubs or trees of the genera Callistemon and Melaleuca, having densely flowered, cylindrical spikes with numerous, long, protruding stamens that suggest a brush used to clean bottles. (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.

• "I used them in the Nativity with old lace, bottlebrush trees, pearls, and vintage cardboard houses, together with topiaries made of dried hydrangeas and Spanish moss."
• "The bottlebrush trees and snowy felt and flakes really look sweet."
• "If you can insert a small bottlebrush to get out any dust or silt that's on the concrete, this will really help ensure patching success."