white spruce

American  

noun

1. a spruce, Picea glauca, of northern North America, having bluish-green needles and silvery-brown bark.

2. the light, soft wood of this tree, used for pulp and in the construction of boxes, crates, etc.

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white spruce British  

noun

1. a N North American spruce tree, Picea glauca, having grey bark, pale brown oblong cones, and bluish-green needle-like leaves

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Etymology

Origin of white spruce

First recorded in 1760–70

Compare meaning

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

• white spruce vs. Norway spruce
• white spruce vs. blue spruce

Example Sentences

Some held that white spruce pointed to a climate similar to modern Canada or Alaska.

From Salon • Feb. 14, 2021

In the northernmost boreal forests of Alaska, where trees and tundra meet, Griffin and his students have installed thirty-six dendrometers on white spruce trees.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 27, 2019

It comes from northern Canada, where botanists in 1903 discovered the first known dwarf clinging to a white spruce — a species that can grow 10 stories tall.

From Seattle Times • May 27, 2018

It comes from northern Canada, where botanists in 1903 discovered the first known dwarf clinging to a white spruce — a species that can grow ten stories tall.

From New York Times • May 21, 2018

The East side of the river consists of a range of high land covered with the white spruce and the soft birch, while the banks abound with the alder and the willow.

From Voyages from Montreal Through the Continent of North America to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans in 1789 and 1793 Vol. II by Mackenzie, Alexander