Crossword Genius

Mention old tree (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

opine

'mention' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'old tree' is the wordplay.
'old' becomes 'o' (common abbreviation eg in OE for Old English).
'tree' becomes 'pine' (pine tree is a kind of tree).
'o'+'pine'='OPINE'

(Other definitions for opine that I've seen before include "Suppose" , "Conjecture" , "Give one's view" , "Express or hold view" , "State as one's belief" .)

I've seen this clue in The Mirror and The Daily Express.
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