a. Obs. Also 8 tonsil, [ad. L. tonsil-is, f. tons-, ppl. stem of tondēre to shear: see -IL, -ILE.] That may be clipped or shorn.
1664. Evelyn, Sylva (1776), 321. The Shrub [Juniper] is tonsile and may be shorn into any form.
1707. Mortimer, Husb. (1721), II. 366. In mild Weather, clip Phillyrea and other tonsil Shrubs.
1791. Gilpin, Forest Scenery, I. 93. The yew is of all other trees the most tonsile.
1847–78. Halliwell, Tonsile-hedge, a hedge cut neat and smooth. North.
