arboreal
Americanadjective
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of or relating to trees; treelike.
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Also living in or among trees.
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Zoology. adapted for living and moving about in trees, as the limbs and skeleton of opossums, squirrels, monkeys, and apes.
adjective
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of, relating to, or resembling a tree
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living in or among trees
arboreal monkeys
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of arboreal
First recorded in 1660–70; from Latin arbore(us) “of trees,” equivalent to arbor “tree” + -eus- -eous + -al 1
Explanation
If it has to do with trees, you can call it arboreal. Monkeys that live in trees are arboreal. The rings of a tree are an indication of arboreal age. The word arboreal comes from the Latin arboreus, which means "pertaining to trees." It's a word that refers not just to animals that live in trees, but also to anything that resembles the branching form of a tree — like a chandelier or a family geology drawn out. It even can be used to describe, as its Latin root suggests, something pertaining to trees. A Christmas tree shop is an arboreal wonderland. There are trees everywhere!
Vocabulary lists containing arboreal
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Stump Speech: Tree Terminology
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List 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Although investigators haven’t determined a motive for the arboreal attacks, both residents and law enforcement officers have theorized they may be the work of a homeowner seeking to improve property value.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
The arboreal columns, for instance, differ in materials, colors, shapes and decorative features.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The oldest known chameleon fossils date to the early Miocene, about 16 to 23 million years ago, long after many of their arboreal adaptations had appeared.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 19, 2025
In closing speeches, prosecutors said the pair carried out the "arboreal equivalent of mindless thuggery", while the men's barristers reiterated their innocence.
From BBC ● May 7, 2025
These trees were without a doubt the gates into a meerkat arboreal city with more bustle in it than Calcutta.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
