a North American deciduous coniferous tree, Taxodium distichum, that grows in swamps and sends up aerial roots from its base
Also called: bald cypress
bald cypress in American English
noun
a tree, Taxodium distichum, of swampy areas of the southern U.S., having featherlike needles and cone-shaped projections growing up from the roots, yielding a hardwood used in construction, shipbuilding, etc
Also called: southern cypress
Word origin
[1700–10, Amer.]This word is first recorded in the period 1700–10. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: cirrus, emphatic, envelope, hump, marquise