arborvitae

[ahr-ber-vahy-tee]

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.

Origin of arborvitae

1655–65 for def 1; 1790–1800 for def 2; < Latin: tree of life