The word "无棣" is formed as a place name through the combination of the character "无", which here likely functions as a descriptive or phonetic element rather than directly meaning "without", and "棣", which refers to a cherry plum or similar tree, with the compound historically originating from the ancient Wudi River or a geographical feature associated with the presence or absence of such trees in the region, now designating a specific county in Shandong.