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

arborio rice, arborist, Arborite, arborization, arborous, arborvitae, arbour, arbovirus, Arbroath, arbtrn., Arbus

Other definitions 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.

How to use arborvitae in a sentence

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-Science
People 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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012