means A shrub is a woody plant that's smaller than a tree, typically with several stems branching out near the ground rather than a single trunk.

from From Old English "scrybb," meaning brushwood or a scrubby thicket — and yes, "scrub" (as in scrubland) is its close kin, both pointing to low, dense, untidy growth. The same family likely reaches into the Norse and North Germanic tongues, where related words described stunted, bushy plants. So at its root, "shrub" has always meant something rough, low, and clinging — the underbrush rather than the canopy. (Note: the drink called a "shrub" — a vinegary fruit cordial — is unrelated, coming instead from the Arabic "sharab," meaning a drink.)