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arbor vitae

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

noun

Anatomy.
  1. 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

  1. 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.

See Examples For:

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 forest was rich, warm with the scent of pine, of arbor vitae.

From The Day of the Beast by Grey, Zane

It is of the kind called "arbor vitae," and uncommonly tall and slender for one of this species; yet it does not seem to thrive well in a foreign soil.

From Seeing Europe with Famous Authors, Volume 5 Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Switzerland, Part 1 by Halsey, Francis W. (Francis Whiting)

Another species of arbor vitae is Thuja orientalis, known also as Biota orientalis.

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

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