“密集、矮小的灌木丛”，1850年，美国英语，源自西班牙语 chaparro “常绿橡树”，可能来自巴斯克语 txapar “小灌木丛”，是 sapar “石南、灌木丛”的 diminutive（小词形式）。
In Spain, a chaparral is a bush of a species of oak. The termination al signifies a place abounding in; as, chaparral, a place of oak-bushes, almendral, an almond orchard; parral, a vineyard; cafetal, a coffee plantation, etc., etc.
This word, chaparral, has been introduced into the language since our acquisition of Texas and New Mexico, where these bushes abound. It is a series of thickets, of various sizes, from one hundred yards to a mile through, with bushes and briars, all covered with thorns, and so closely entwined together as almost to prevent the passage of any thing larger than a wolf or hare. [John Russell Bartlett, "Dictionary of Americanisms," 1859]
在西班牙，chaparral 指的是一种橡树的灌木。词尾 al 表示“充满……的地方”；比如，chaparral，意为橡树灌木丛的地方，almendral，杏仁 orchard（果园）；parral，葡萄园；cafetal，咖啡 plantation（种植园）等等。
这个词 chaparral 是在我们获得德克萨斯州和新墨西哥州后引入英语的，因为那里这些灌木丛非常丰富。它是一系列灌木丛，大小不一，从一百码到一英里不等，里面布满了荆棘和刺，密密麻麻地纠缠在一起，几乎阻止了任何比狼或野兔更大的动物通过。[约翰·拉塞尔·巴特利特，《美国俚语词典》，1859年]
