conifer

[ koh-nuh-fer, kon-uh- ]

/ ˈkoʊ nə fər, ˈkɒn ə- /

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noun

any of numerous, chiefly evergreen trees or shrubs of the class Coniferinae (or group Coniferales), including the pine, fir, spruce, and other cone-bearing trees and shrubs, and also the yews and their allies that bear drupelike seeds.

a plant producing naked seeds in cones, or single naked seeds as in yews, but with pollen always borne in cones.

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Origin of conifer

1350–1400; Middle English conefere<Latin cōnifer coniferous, equivalent to cōn(us) cone + -i- + -fer-fer

Words nearby conifer

conic projection, conics, conic section, conidiophore, conidium, conifer, coniferin, coniferous, coniine, coniology, conirostral

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

How to use conifer in a sentence

She noted where and when conifer forests began to return, where they didn’t, and where opportunistic invasive species like cheatgrass took over the landscape.
The pandemic slashed the West Coast’s emissions. Wildfires already reversed it.|James Temple|July 27, 2021|MIT Technology Review
With her gentle snuffling, the pig helps the man locate truffles as the sun streams through the cathedral of conifers around them.
In Pig, Nicolas Cage Plays a Grouchy, Meditative Hermit—and Gives His Best Performance in Years|Stephanie Zacharek|July 15, 2021|Time
Even in systems where fire suppression is responsible for fuel buildup, such as mixed conifer stands in the Rockies and Sierra Nevada, fuel treatments can’t always affect the course of a fire.
Underpaid firefighters, overstretched budgets: The U.S. isn’t prepared for fires fueled by climate change|Sarah Kaplan|July 1, 2021|Washington Post
The regional average for mixed conifer forests in the inland region is much lower than the average for similar forests in the coastal region.
The Climate Solution Actually Adding Millions of Tons of CO2 Into the Atmosphere|by Lisa Song, ProPublica, and James Temple, MIT Technology Review|April 29, 2021|ProPublica

After the fireball, the ferns and conifers largely vanished.
Dinosaur-killing asteroid radically changed Earth’s tropical forests|Carolyn Gramling|April 26, 2021|Science News For Students
Cheryl Brown, former CEO of the Conifer Council in Texas/Arkansas also saw the storm coming.
Why Are Girl Scout Camps Being Closed?|Alessandra Rafferty|January 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Thus they encamped near the conifer, and called the place Toha-a-muk-is after the spruce they were afraid to touch.
Indian Legends of Vancouver Island|Alfred Carmichael
It suffices to name the families of the Conifer and the Amentace, which compose the greater portion of the Flora of our forests.
The Desert World|Arthur Mangin
The family of Conifer exhibit themselves in Australia, like every other group of plants, under strange and novel forms.
The Desert World|Arthur Mangin
The Australian species are comprised in a small number of families, notably in those of the Conifer and Myrtace.
The Desert World|Arthur Mangin
Its cones are the largest produced by any conifer, occasionally reaching the length of nearly two feet.
Your National Parks|Enos A. Mills

British Dictionary definitions for conifer

conifer

/ (ˈkəʊnɪfə, ˈkɒn-) /

noun

any gymnosperm tree or shrub of the phylum Coniferophyta, typically bearing cones and evergreen leaves. The group includes the pines, spruces, firs, larches, yews, junipers, cedars, cypresses, and sequoias

Word Origin for conifer

C19: from Latin, from cōnus cone + ferre to bear

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

Scientific definitions for conifer

conifer

[ kŏn′ə-fər ]

Any of various gymnosperms that bear their reproductive structures in cones and belong to the phylum Coniferophyta. Conifers evolved around 300 million years ago and, as a group, show many adaptations to drier and cooler environments. They are usually evergreen and often have drought-resistant leaves that are needle-shaped or scalelike. They depend on the wind to blow pollen produced by male cones to female cones, where fertilization takes place and seeds develop. Conifers are widely distributed, but conifer species dominate the northern forest biome known as the taiga. There are some 550 species of conifers, including the pines, firs, spruces, hemlocks, cypresses, junipers, yews, and redwoods. See more at pollination seed-bearing plant.

Other words from conifer

coniferous adjective

conifer

Origin of conifer

Words nearby conifer

Words related to conifer

How to use conifer in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for conifer

Word Origin for conifer

Scientific definitions for conifer

Other words from conifer