a potted plant that has been grown and aesthetically trimmed for the purpose of viewing: a bonsai, a dwarf tree
köken: Orthographic borrowing from Chinese 盆栽 (pénzāi) as a kind of calque of the older Japanese term 鉢植え (hachiue, “potted plant”, literally “pot + planting”), based on the synonymous meanings of the individual kanji: 盆 (bon) can refer to a pot, while 栽 (sai) can refer to a plant. First cited to a collection of 漢詩 (kanshi, “Chinese-style poetry”) from 1832.
bonsai (tree or plant that has been miniaturized by planting it in a small pot, restricting its roots, and by careful pruning) · bonsai (art of planting and growing trees or plants in such a manner)
köken: Etymology tree English bonsaiubor. Polish bonsai Unadapted borrowing from English bonsai.