arborvitae

[ahr-ber-vahy-tee]

noun

1. 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.

2. Anatomy.,  arbor vitae.

Word History and Origins

Origin of arborvitae¹

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

Example Sentences

Giant arborvitae trees flank Maude’s Garden on Seattle’s First Hill, muffling the hum of city traffic for this tiny therapeutic oasis.

From Seattle Times

Q: I have a boundary row of 50 arborvitae.

From Seattle Times

Q: I have four arborvitae that have died or are in the dying phase.

From Seattle Times

Limiting the number of upright limbs on an evergreen such as arborvitae leaves fewer to break off, and a narrower top to better shed snow.

From Washington Times

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.

From Washington Post