A fir or a fir tree is a tall evergreen tree that has thin needle-like leaves.
fir in British English
(fɜː)
noun
1.
any pyramidal coniferous tree of the N temperate genus Abies, having single needle-like leaves and erect cones: family Pinaceae
See also red fir, silver fir, balsam fir
2.
any of various other trees of the family Pinaceae, such as the Douglas fir
3.
the wood of any of these trees
Word origin
Old English furh; related to Old Norse fura, Old High German foraha fir, Latin quercus oak
fir in American English1
(fɜr)
noun
1.
any of a genus (Abies) of cone-bearing evergreen trees of the pine family, having flattened needles and upright cones whose scales fall off at maturity
2.
any of various other coniferous trees, as the Douglas fir
3.
the wood of any of these trees
Derived forms
firry (ˈfirry)
adjective
Word origin
ME firre < OE fyrh, akin to Ger föhre < IE base *perkwus, name of the tree, oak > L quercus, oak
Wire together dried fruit and fir cones and use to fill any gaps.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
You cannot therefore simply complain that the fir tree blocks the light to your garden or patio.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
We stare through the drizzle at a scarred fir tree.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The fir trees of the mobile forest lay flattened and scorched.
Baxter, Stephen Anti-Ice (1993)
It was a frosty night and fir trees sparkled with a dusting of snow.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Holly or branches from fir trees work best but any greenery will do.
The Sun (2014)
He had seen the dark shapes of the fir trees only a moment or so before hitting them.
Len Deighton Bomber
People who live near a fir wood can sometimes hear a weird cooing coming from it in the middle of the night.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
We bounced between fir trees, then burst out on to the shores of a lake.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The darling yellow trumpets are thrusting up in fir and birch woods across Scotland for our delight.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
I put fir cones on them to make them smell beautiful.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
I once heard one calling in the top of a skimpy fir tree in a wood.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
You can often see them in oak woods, especially if there are a few fir trees dotted about.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
What do I do about a fir tree?
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Wild salmon with sea vegetables and pink fir apples was OK but dull.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
If there are spruce and fir, out they will come: most small gardens are better without them.
Page, Russell The Education of a Gardener (1994)
They are commonest in fir woods, but in other woods they are often seen in oak trees,usually at the top.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The road here is quiet, overlooked by towering fir trees, with a peace that contributes to the sense that this is hallowed ground.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Word lists with
fir
tree, wood
In other languages
fir
British English: fir NOUN
A fir is a tall evergreen tree that has thin needle-like leaves.
American English: fir
Brazilian Portuguese: abeto
Chinese: 枞树
European Spanish: abeto
French: sapin
German: Tanne
Italian: abete
Japanese: モミ
Korean: 전나무
European Portuguese: abeto
Latin American Spanish: abeto
All related terms of 'fir'
red fir
a North American coniferous tree , Abies magnifica , having reddish wood valued as timber : family Pinaceae
sea fir
of or relating to the Hydroida, an order of colonial hydrozoan coelenterates that have the polyp phase dominant
fir tree
A fir tree is the same as a → fir .
noble fir
a large fir tree found in western Northern America and often used as a Christmas tree
Scots fir
a coniferous tree, Pinus sylvestris, of Europe and W and N Asia , having blue-green needle-like leaves and brown cones with a small prickle on each scale : a valuable timber tree
balsam fir
a fir tree, Abies balsamea , of NE North America , that yields Canada balsam
Douglas fir
a North American pyramidal coniferous tree, Pseudotsuga menziesii, widely planted for ornament and for timber , having needle-like leaves and hanging cones : family Pinaceae
ground fir
→ ground pine
Oregon fir
→ Douglas fir
Scotch fir
a coniferous tree, Pinus sylvestris, of Europe and W and N Asia , having blue-green needle-like leaves and brown cones with a small prickle on each scale : a valuable timber tree
silver fir
any of various fir trees the leaves of which have a silvery undersurface , esp Abies alba , an important timber tree of central and S Europe
Spanish fir
a species of fir native to S Spain and N Morocco , Abies pinsapo