arborvitae
[ ahr-ber-vahy-tee ]
/ ˌɑr bərˈvaɪ ti /
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noun
any of several ornamental or timber-producing evergreen trees belonging to the genus Thuja, of the cypress family, native to North America and eastern Asia, having a scaly bark and scalelike leaves on branchlets.
Anatomy. arbor vitae.
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Origin of arborvitae
1655–65 for def. 1; 1790–1800 for def. 2; <Latin: tree of life
Words nearby arborvitae
Definition for arborvitae (2 of 2)
arbor vitae
[ 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.
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for arborvitae
Some of their most favorable plants are narrowed-leafed evergreen, like arborvitae and fir.
Four wild animals that are thriving in cities|By Ryan Chelius/Outdoor Life|February 9, 2021|Popular SciencePeople who crave quick evergreen screening seem to be turning less to the problem-prone Leyland cypress in favor of the arborvitae Green Giant, a better plant but suffering now from overuse.
Winter wonders: Conifers revive the sleeping garden. But remember, less is more.|Adrian Higgins|December 2, 2020|Washington Post
British Dictionary definitions for arborvitae
arbor vitae
/ (ˈɑːbɔː ˈviːtaɪ, ˈvaɪtiː) /
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 conesSee also red cedar
Word Origin for arbor vitae
C17: from New Latin, literally: tree of life
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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