sequoia

American  

[si-kwoi-uh] / sɪˈkwɔɪ ə /

noun

1. giant sequoia.

2. coast redwood.

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sequoia British  

/ sɪˈkwɔɪə /

noun

1. either of two giant Californian coniferous trees, Sequoia sempervirens ( redwood ) or Sequoiadendron giganteum (formerly Sequoia gigantea ) ( big tree or giant sequoia ): family Taxodiaceae

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Etymology

Origin of sequoia

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; named after Sequoya

Explanation

A sequoia is an ancient, towering redwood tree that grows on the coast of northern California and southern Oregon. Sequoias are the largest trees on Earth. Before commercial logging destroyed many of them, giant sequoias covered the entire coast of California, filling about two million acres of forest. The remaining trees are among the very oldest things on our planet; some are more than 2,000 years old. Sequoias are massive evergreens, the largest of which is as tall as a 30-story building. The sequoia was named after the Cherokee man, Sequoya, who invented a written form of the Cherokee language in the 1820s.

Example Sentences

In May, Anthropic raised $65 billion in new funding from investors including Greenoaks, Dragoneer, Altimeter Capital and Sequoia Capital.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

The company’s latest $65 billion fundraising round was led by Altimeter Capital, Dragoneer, Greenoaks and Sequoia Capital.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

A 3-year-old black-furred wolf has become the first of her kind known to venture into Sequoia National Park in more than a century.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

He is a former partner at Sequoia Capital and sits on the board of several tech firms, including Nvidia.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

Being a Sequoia Giant had been a colossal disappointment.

From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan