blue spruce

American  

noun

1. a spruce, Picea pungens, of western North America, having bluish-green leaves, grown as an ornamental: the state tree of Colorado and Utah.

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blue spruce British  

noun

1. Also called: balsam spruce.  a spruce tree, Picea pungens glauca , native to the Rocky Mountains of North America, having blue-green needle-like leaves

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Etymology

Origin of blue spruce

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Compare meaning

How does blue-spruce compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• white spruce vs. blue spruce

Example Sentences

In 18,47, Imgard reportedly celebrated Christmas by decorating blue spruce with candy canes and ornaments and his neighbors in Wooster, Ohio, took notice.

From Fox News • Dec. 19, 2021

Now his 10-acre tree farm is packed with 10,000 trees, including concolor fir, blue spruce, Norway spruce, Douglas fir and his best-selling Canaan fir, which has sturdy branches and soft needles.

From Washington Post • Nov. 19, 2021

The wildly colorful blue spruce was adorned with popcorn strings, daisy strands and cranberry garland.

From Salon • Dec. 12, 2020

Give your favorite green thumb a blue spruce tree that will grow with them.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 18, 2020

The Holy Young Woman carries for me; A blue spruce sapling, she carries for me; An implement of the rites, she carries for me; A holy treasure, she carries for me.

From The Mountain Chant, A Navajo Ceremony Fifth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1883-84, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1887, pages 379-468 by Matthews, Washington