arborvitae

enUK

arborvitaewhite cedarThuja occidentalis

ar·bor·vi·tae

also ar·bor vi·tae A0400800 (är′bər-vī′tē) n. 1. Any of various coniferous evergreen trees or shrubs of the genus Thuja of North America and eastern Asia, having flattened branchlets with opposite, scalelike leaves and small cones. They are grown as ornamentals and for timber. Also called thuja. 2. Any similar plant of the related genera Platycladus or Thujopsis. 3. Anatomy The white nerve tissue of the cerebellum, which has a treelike outline in a median section.

[From New Latin arbor vītae, tree of life : Latin arbor, tree + Latin vītae, genitive of vīta, life; see vital.]

ar•bor•vi•tae

(ˌɑr bərˈvaɪ ti)

n. 1. any of several evergreen trees of the genus Thuja, of the cypress family, having a scaly bark and scalelike leaves on branchlets. 2. Also, ar′bor vi′tae. a treelike longitudinal pattern formed by the white and gray matter of the brain. [1655–65; < New Latin, Latin: tree of life]

Thesaurus

Noun

arborvitae - any of several Asian and North American conifers of the genera Thuja and Thujopsiscanoe cedar, red cedar, Thuja plicata, western red cedar - large valuable arborvitae of northwestern United StatesAmerican arborvitae, northern white cedar, Thuja occidentalis, white cedar - small evergreen of eastern North America having tiny scalelike leaves on flattened branchletsOriental arborvitae, Platycladus orientalis, Thuja orientalis - Asiatic shrub or small tree widely planted in United States and Europe; in some classifications assigned to its own genushiba arborvitae, Thujopsis dolobrata - slow-growing medium-large Japanese evergreen used as an ornamentalconifer, coniferous tree - any gymnospermous tree or shrub bearing cones

arborvitae

enUK

arborvitae

(är'bərvī`tē) [Lat.,=tree of life], aromatic evergreen tree of the genus Thuja of the family Cupressaceae (cypresscypress,
common name for members of the Cupressaceae, a widely distributed family of coniferous shrubs and trees, several yielding valuable timber. The major genera are Juniperus (juniper), Thuja (arborvitae), and Cupressus (the true cypresses).
..... Click the link for more information. family), with scalelike leaves borne on flattened branchlets of a fanlike appearance and with very small cones. Some of the numerous cultivated varieties are dwarf forms. There are several species, two native to North America, the remainder native to Asia but sometimes cultivated in the United States. T. occidentalis, of E North America, called arborvitae, white cedar, or Northern white cedar, has many garden forms and is popular for hedges. The leaves were once used as a remedy for rheumatism, and their oil as a vermifuge. T. plicata of W North America, called giant arborvitae, red cedar, or Western red cedar, is much larger and considerably more important as lumber; it is primarily used for making shingles and shakes. The wood of both of these species is soft but quite resistant to decay, hence its popularity for fence posts. Arborvitaes are classified in the division PinophytaPinophyta
, division of the plant kingdom consisting of those organisms commonly called gymnosperms. The gymnosperms, a group that includes the pine, have stems, roots and leaves, and vascular, or conducting, tissue (xylem and phloem).
..... Click the link for more information. , class Pinopsida, order Coniferales.

arborvitae

[¦ar·bər¦vīd·ē] (botany) Any of the ornamental trees, sometimes called the tree of life, in the genus Thuja of the order Pinales.

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Words related to arborvitae

noun any of several Asian and North American conifers of the genera Thuja and Thujopsis

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