coniferous

[ koh-nif-er-uh s, kuh- ]

/ koʊˈnɪf ər əs, kə- /

adjective Botany.

belonging or pertaining to the conifers.Compare conifer(def 1).

Nearby words

Origin of coniferous

First recorded in 1655–65; see origin at conifer, -ous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for coniferous

There are no vessels or pores in coniferous wood such as one sees so prominently in oak and ash, for example.
The Mechanical Properties of Wood|Samuel J. Record
Cupressus, kū-pres′us, n. the cypress genus of coniferous trees.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)|Various
The walls are usually constructed with twigs and lined with smaller ones and strips of the fibrous inner bark of coniferous trees.
Birds and Nature Vol. 11 No. 1 [January 1902]|Various
Few of the trees are coniferous, nor do oaks in this part of the Himalaya select such moist localities.
Western Himalaya and Tibet|Thomas Thomson

Signs of pitch on the bark of coniferous trees are the first symptoms of infection.
The School Book of Forestry|Charles Lathrop Pack

British Dictionary definitions for coniferous

coniferous

/ (kəˈnɪfərəs, kɒ-) /

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the plant phylum ConiferophytaSee conifer

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

Word Origin and History for coniferous

coniferous

adj.

1660s, from conifer + -ous.

Science definitions for coniferous

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.

Related formsconiferous adjective