arbor vitae

American

[ahr-ber vahy-tee] / ˈɑr bər ˈvaɪ ti /

noun

Anatomy.

a treelike appearance in a vertical section of the cerebellum, due to the arrangement of the white and gray nerve tissues.

arbor vitae British

/ ˈvaɪtiː, ˈɑːbɔː ˈviːtaɪ /

noun

any of several Asian and North American evergreen coniferous trees of the genera Thuja and Thujopsis, esp Thuja occidentalis, having tiny scalelike leaves and egglike cones See also red cedar

"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

Etymology

Origin of arbor vitae

C17: from New Latin, literally: tree of life

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.

Greenery is supplied by potted ivy and ferns hanging on the wall, along with 13 arbor vitae trees.

From New York Times • Jul. 9, 2020

There's a robin's nest in the arbor vitae next to the house, with three larger, shinier blue eggs inside, and we take our chances.

From Salon • May 9, 2020

The beds were made of layers of spruce and other fir branches spread on the ground and covered with the fragrant twigs of the arbor vitae.

From The Autobiography of a Journalist, Volume I by Stillman, William James

Thuja occidentalis is the Western or American arbor vitae, the Cupressus Arbor Vitae of old authors.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 4 "Aram, Eugene" to "Arcueil" by Various

For a lower belt the arbor vitae is excellent.

From Manual of Gardening (Second Edition) by Bailey, L. H. (Liberty Hyde)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023