cedar

[ see-der ]

/ ˈsi dər /

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noun

any of several Old World, coniferous trees of the genus Cedrus, having wide, spreading branches.Compare cedar of Lebanon.

any of various junipers, as the red cedar, Juniperus virginiana, of the cypress family, having reddish-brown bark and dark-blue, berrylike fruit.

any of various other coniferous trees.Compare incense cedar, white cedar.

any of several trees belonging to the genus Cedrela, of the mahogany family, as the Spanish cedar.

Also called cedarwood. the fragrant wood of any of these trees, used in furniture and as a moth repellent.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of cedar

before 1000; Middle English cedir,Old English ceder<Latin cedrus<Greek kédros; replacing Middle English cedre<Old French <Latin, as above

Words nearby cedar

Cecropia moth, Cecrops, cecum, CED, cedant arma togae, cedar, cedar apple, cedar chest, Cedar City, Cedar Falls, cedarn

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cedar in a sentence

The four-mile Coy Bald Trail cuts through cedar and oak forests, while the connected and rugged six-mile Long Creek Trail leads to a slew of scenic waterfalls.
50 U.S. Wilderness Areas, Ranked|eriley|July 26, 2021|Outside Online
The surveyors marked the corners of each section with whatever was geographically convenient, such as cedar posts in the Northwest and piles of rocks in Arizona.
We Mapped the West 200 Years Ago, and We’re Still Living with the Mistakes|abarronian|July 12, 2021|Outside Online
After many more years being carried in currents of water and air, our intrepid atom once again settles, this time on a cedar of Bsharri, Lebanon, and helps to build long molecular chains to form cellulose in this long-lived conifer.
Carbon, It’s Elementary, Dear Reader - Issue 99: Universality|John Barnett|April 14, 2021|Nautilus
Mike made the table himself and is going to add cedar planking to the exterior.
With travel options limited, some are swapping vacations for big-ticket toys|Amanda Loudin|March 4, 2021|Washington Post

Three-thousand-foot vertical runs of widely spaced fir, hemlock, and cedar trees awaited us.
After the Crash, They Said I Was Fine. I Wasn't.|Erin Tierney|February 4, 2021|Outside Online
Without overshadowing his talented counterparts, Cedar commands the stage with a meticulous mix of stoicism and candor.
The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson (And Tolstoy and Dickens)|Samuel Fragoso|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I was there at one of the first gigs by Julian Casablancas and the Voidz at SXSW, in Cedar Street Courtyard.
Julian Casablancas Enters the Void: On the Strokes’ Friction, Why He Left NYC, and Starting Over|Marlow Stern|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Marianne Stewart of Cedar Falls needed repeated prodding to recall that she had caucused for Santorum.
Rick Santorum Is Kinda Coming Back for 2016|Ben Jacobs|August 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The memory came more quickly for her friend, Jan Mundt, formerly of Cedar Falls and now of Florida.
Rick Santorum Is Kinda Coming Back for 2016|Ben Jacobs|August 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It also remains unclear whether traditional practices such as aging tobacco in cedar or other woods might run afoul of the ban.
Will the Nanny State Target Cigars Next?|Jacob Grier|May 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They were delivered in due time, and packed in a richly-mounted cedar chest, were sent to the royal recipient.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Two of the chimneys have tunnels carved through the bases, and cedar trees appear to grow out of the rock.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia|Dorothy M. Torpey
The celebrated African farmer of Cedar creek, Del., died, almost 118 years of age.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
The Darwood farmhouse set back from the road, among some cedar trees.
The Mystery at Putnam Hall|Arthur M. Winfield
It was built of logs and roofed with rough cedar shingles hand-split on the spot.
The Gold Trail|Harold Bindloss

British Dictionary definitions for cedar

cedar

/ (ˈsiːdə) /

noun

any Old World coniferous tree of the genus Cedrus, having spreading branches, needle-like evergreen leaves, and erect barrel-shaped cones: family PinaceaeSee also cedar of Lebanon, deodar

any of various other conifers, such as the red cedars and white cedars

the wood of any of these trees

any of certain other plants, such as the Spanish cedar

adjective

made of the wood of a cedar tree

Word Origin for cedar

C13: from Old French cedre, from Latin cedrus, from Greek kedros

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

cedar

Origin of cedar

Words nearby cedar

Words related to cedar

How to use cedar in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cedar

Word Origin for cedar