fir

[ fur ]

noun

any coniferous tree belonging to the genus Abies, of the pine family, characterized by its pyramidal style of growth, flat needles, and erect cones.
the wood of such a tree.

Origin of fir

1250–1300; Middle English firre,Old English fyrh; cognate with Old Saxon furie; akin to Old English furh- (in fuhrwudu pine), Old Norse fura fir, Latin quercus oak (<*perkwu-)

Words that may be confused with fir

fir , fur

Words Nearby fir

Other definitions for FIR (2 of 2)

FIR

abbreviation

far-infrared radiation.

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

How to use fir in a sentence

On the way down he identifies trees by which needles are best to sleep on: Balsam fir is good.
Pete Dexter’s Indelible Portrait of Author Norman Maclean | Pete Dexter | March 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The Daily Pic: Monika Sosnowska plants her "fir Tree" in Central Park.
A Climb-Down for Art | Blake Gopnik | November 27, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
I took everything you taught me, flushed it down the toilet, and bought a pine fir hoping it would bring me spiritual nourishment.
Jesus Made Me a Better Jew | Benyamin Cohen | December 24, 2008 | THE DAILY BEAST
He saw the tips of the fir trees shimmer, and heard them whisper as the breeze turned their needles towards the light.
Three More John Silence Stories | Algernon Blackwood
I did not see any others at that time amongst the fir-trees, though no doubt a few others were there.
Birds of Guernsey (1879) | Cecil Smith

I will hear him, and I will make him flourish like a green fir tree: from me is thy fruit found.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various
The sayling firr; this 'alludes to the ship's masts and spars being made of fir.'
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems | Geoffrey Chaucer
In one hand he carried a peevie, a big wooden lever with an iron hook on it, such as men use in rolling fir logs.
The Gold Trail | Harold Bindloss

British Dictionary definitions for fir

fir

/ (fɜː) /

noun

any pyramidal coniferous tree of the N temperate genus Abies, having single needle-like leaves and erect cones: family Pinaceae: See also red fir, silver fir, balsam fir
any of various other trees of the family Pinaceae, such as the Douglas fir

the wood of any of these trees

Origin of fir

Old English furh; related to Old Norse fura, Old High German foraha fir, Latin quercus oak

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

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