cypress

[ sahy-pruhs ]

noun

any of several evergreen coniferous trees constituting the genus Cupressus, having dark-green, scalelike, overlapping leaves.
any of various other coniferous trees of allied genera, as the bald cypress.

any of various unrelated plants resembling the true cypress.
the wood of these trees or plants.

Origin of cypress

before 1000; Middle English, Old English cypresse<Late Latin cypressus, apparently blend of Latin cupressus and cyparissus<Greek kypárissos; replacing Middle English cipres<Anglo-French, Old French <Late Latin, as above

Words Nearby cypress

Other definitions for cypress (2 of 3)

cypress²

or cy·prus

[ sahy-pruhs ]

nounObsolete.

a fine, thin fabric resembling lawn or crepe, formerly used in black for mourning garments and trimmings.

Origin of cypress

1350–1400; Middle English cipre(s), cyprus, after Cyprus

Other definitions for Cypress (3 of 3)

Cypress

[ sahy-pruhs ]

noun

a city in SW California.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cypress in a sentence

The procession continued on to the cypress Hill Cemetery, where Ramos was buried the week before.
Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss | Michael Daly | January 5, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
There were also beams of cypress and several other types of wood.
Are These Beams from the First and Second Temples? | David Frum | May 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Even more striking were her findings regarding one of the cypress beams.
Are These Beams from the First and Second Temples? | David Frum | May 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
St. Joseph's Abbey opened a casket business in 2007, selling high-end handcrafted cypress caskets to help finance its operations.
A Victory Against Big Funeral in Louisiana | Megan McArdle | March 21, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Investigators with the cypress Police Economic Crimes Unit had been quietly building a case and chose this moment to arrest them.
Two California Women Turn Themselves Into Real-Life Versions of Thelma and Louise | Michael Daly | January 7, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST

There'll be heaps uh fun in the cypress Hills country when they get t' runnin' the whisky-jacks out.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
They didn't linger long at Benton, but got under way and marched overland to the cypress Hills.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
Loftily pierce the tall white minarets into the quivering heavens, while the solemn cypress throws its shade below.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.
Before the door of the house were set branches of pine or cypress as a warning that the house was polluted by death.
The Private Life of the Romans | Harold Whetstone Johnston
Godfrey cast himself beneath a cypress, and his snoring soon told its story.
God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis

British Dictionary definitions for cypress (1 of 2)

cypress¹

/ (ˈsaɪprəs) /

noun

any coniferous tree of the N temperate genus Cupressus, having dark green scalelike leaves and rounded cones: family Cupressaceae: See also Leyland cypress
any of several similar and related trees, such as the widely cultivated Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (Lawson's cypress), of the western US

any of various other coniferous trees, esp the swamp cypress
the wood of any of these trees

Origin of cypress

Old English cypresse, from Latin cyparissus, from Greek kuparissos; related to Latin cupressus

British Dictionary definitions for cypress (2 of 2)

cypress²

cyprus

/ (ˈsaɪprəs) /

noun

a fabric, esp a fine silk, lawn, or crepelike material, often black and worn as mourning

Origin of cypress

C14 cyprus from the island of Cyprus

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

Browse