arbor

1
[ ahr-ber ]
See synonyms for arbor on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a leafy, shady recess formed by tree branches, shrubs, etc.

  2. a latticework bower intertwined with climbing vines and flowers.

  1. Obsolete. a grass plot; lawn; garden; orchard.

Origin of arbor

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English (h)erber, erba(i)re, arbere “(flower) garden, pleasure garden, herb garden,” Anglo-French (h)erber, Old French (h)erbier “grassy place, herb garden”; respelling with -or under the influence of arbor3
  • Also especially British, ar·bour .

Other definitions for arbor (2 of 3)

arbor2
[ ahr-ber ]

noun
  1. Machinery.

    • a bar, shaft, or axis that holds, turns, or supports a rotating cutting tool or grinding wheel, often having a tapered shank fitting tightly into the spindle of a machine tool.: Compare mandrel.

    • a beam, shaft, axle, or spindle.

  2. Metallurgy. a reinforcing member of a core or mold.

Origin of arbor

2
First recorded in 1650–60; from French, arbre “tree, axis,” from Latin arbor “tree, mast, (spear) shaft, oar”; respelling of earlier arber, arbre by association with arbor3

Other definitions for arbor (3 of 3)

arbor3
[ ahr-ber ]

noun,plural ar·bo·res [ahr-buh-reez]. /ˈɑr bəˌriz/. Botany.
  1. a tree.

Origin of arbor

3
First recorded in 1660–70; from New Latin, Latin; see also arbor2

Other words from arbor

  • ar·bo·resque, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use arbor in a sentence

  • Between green thickets and leafy arbors she could see the silver stream of the Kuweik creeping silently in its flower-banked bed.

    God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
  • On more extensive grounds there were places of shelter, arbors, or summer houses.

    The Private Life of the Romans | Harold Whetstone Johnston
  • What vines would I advise for use about arbors, summer-houses, and pergolas?

    Amateur Gardencraft | Eben E. Rexford
  • The upright cordon can be bent into the form of an arch in order to make delightful arbors along the walks.

    Dwarf Fruit Trees | F. A. Waugh
  • They trained grape-vines over arbors and trellises round the Mission buildings, and from the small, black grapes made wine.

    Stories of California | Ella M. Sexton

British Dictionary definitions for arbor (1 of 2)

arbor1

/ (ˈɑːbə) /


noun
  1. the US spelling of arbour

British Dictionary definitions for arbor (2 of 2)

arbor2

/ (ˈɑːbə) /


noun
  1. a rotating shaft in a machine or power tool on which a milling cutter or grinding wheel is fitted

  2. a rotating shaft or mandrel on which a workpiece is fitted for machining

  1. metallurgy a part, piece, or structure used to reinforce the core of a mould

Origin of arbor

2
C17: from Latin: tree, mast

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012