From Japanese 盆栽 (bonsai), from Middle Chinese 盆 (MC bwon, “bowl”) + 栽 (MC tsoj|dzojH, “to plant”).
Meanings
(transitive) To make into a bonsai by restricting the roots and pruning.
Could I be a father who was, so to speak, bonsaiing his children, trimming urban roots, and then twisting the emerging branches? 2001, Dennis Parks, Living in the Country Growing Weird, page 50:
bg бонса́й (the art of growing miniaturized trees or plants) · sv bonsai (a miniaturized tree or plant) · tr bonsay (a miniaturized tree or plant) · is dvergtré (a miniaturized tree or plant) · ja 盆栽の技術 (the art of growing miniaturized trees or plants) · cmn 盆栽 (a miniaturized tree or plant) · it bonsai (a miniaturized tree or plant) · th บอนไซ (a miniaturized tree or plant) · mr बॉनसाई (the art of growing miniaturized trees or plants) · pt bonsai (a miniaturized tree or plant) · pt bonsai (the art of growing miniaturized trees or plants) · de Bonsai (a miniaturized tree or plant) · bg бонза́й (the art of growing miniaturized trees or plants) · cs bonsai (a miniaturized tree or plant) · cmn 盆景 (a miniaturized tree or plant) · th บอนไซ (the art of growing miniaturized trees or plants) · ms bonsai (the art of growing miniaturized trees or plants) · te బోన్సాయి (a miniaturized tree or plant) · fr bonzaï (a miniaturized tree or plant) · sh бонсаи (a miniaturized tree or plant) · fr bonsaï (the art of growing miniaturized trees or plants) · fr bonsaï (a miniaturized tree or plant) · uk бонса́й (a miniaturized tree or plant) · cs bonsaj (a miniaturized tree or plant) · ru бонса́й (a miniaturized tree or plant) · ja 盆栽 (a miniaturized tree or plant) · te మరుగుజ్జు చెట్టు (a miniaturized tree or plant) · tr bonsai (a miniaturized tree or plant) · eo bonsajo (a miniaturized tree or plant) · vi bồn tài (a miniaturized tree or plant) · fi bonsai (a miniaturized tree or plant) · da bonsai (the art of growing miniaturized trees or plants) · el μπονσάι (a miniaturized tree or plant) · mr बॉनसाई (a miniaturized tree or plant) · id bonsai (the art of growing miniaturized trees or plants) · fr bonzaï (the art of growing miniaturized trees or plants) · da bonsai (a miniaturized tree or plant) · bg бонса́й (a miniaturized tree or plant) · sh bonsai (a miniaturized tree or plant) · da bonsaitræ (a miniaturized tree or plant) · ar بُونْسَاي (a miniaturized tree or plant) · pl bonsai (a miniaturized tree or plant) · sv bonsaiträd (a miniaturized tree or plant) · ms bonsai (a miniaturized tree or plant) · he בּוֹנְסַאי (a miniaturized tree or plant) · ar بُونْسَاي (a miniaturized tree or plant) · bg бонза́й (a miniaturized tree or plant) · es bonsái (a miniaturized tree or plant) · ca bonsai (a miniaturized tree or plant) · ko 분재 (a miniaturized tree or plant) · az bonsay (a miniaturized tree or plant) · de Bonsaibaum (a miniaturized tree or plant) · hu bonszai (a miniaturized tree or plant) · id bonsai (a miniaturized tree or plant)