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• cypress
  cypress

  noun

  any of several evergreen coniferous trees constituting the genus Cupressus, having dark-green, scalelike, overlapping leaves.
• Cypress
  Cypress

  noun

  a city in SW California.

cypress

¹ American  

[sahy-pruhs] / ˈsaɪ prəs /

noun

1. any of several evergreen coniferous trees constituting the genus Cupressus, having dark-green, scalelike, overlapping leaves.

2. any of various other coniferous trees of allied genera, as the bald cypress.

3. any of various unrelated plants resembling the true cypress.

4. the wood of these trees or plants.

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cypress ² American  

[sahy-pruhs] / ˈsaɪ prəs /

Or cyprus

noun

Obsolete.

1. a fine, thin fabric resembling lawn or crepe, formerly used in black for mourning garments and trimmings.

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Cypress ³ American  

[sahy-pruhs] / ˈsaɪ prəs /

noun

1. a city in SW California.

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cypress ¹ British  

/ ˈsaɪprəs /

noun

1. any coniferous tree of the N temperate genus Cupressus, having dark green scalelike leaves and rounded cones: family Cupressaceae See also Leyland cypress

2. any of several similar and related trees, such as the widely cultivated Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ( Lawson's cypress ), of the western US

3. any of various other coniferous trees, esp the swamp cypress

4. the wood of any of these trees

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cypress ² British  

/ ˈsaɪprəs /

noun

1. a fabric, esp a fine silk, lawn, or crepelike material, often black and worn as mourning

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Etymology

Origin of cypress¹

before 1000; Middle English, Old English cypresse < Late Latin cypressus, apparently blend of Latin cupressus and cyparissus < Greek kypárissos; replacing Middle English cipres < Anglo-French, Old French < Late Latin, as above

Origin of cypress²

1350–1400; Middle English cipre ( s ), cyprus, after Cyprus

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cypress Cypress

Sue and much of the family grew up nearby, among the cypress trees and cotton farms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

At the impact site, a fresh evergreen scent wafted through the air from cypress trees whose branches were blown off in the strike.

From Barron's ● Mar. 1, 2026

The park’s original Depression-era structures are iconic, rising gray and craggy from the muted landscape like the Monterey cypress through the ever-present fog.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2025

Green-roofed cabins housing hundreds of campers and staff dotted the area, which is lush with cypress and live oak trees.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2025

Jody could see the great black kettle under the cypress tree.

From "The Red Pony" by John Steinbeck

The newest, a wall-sized 2026 painting in ink on paper, “Ancient Cypress on the Cliff,” by Wang Mansheng, dwarfs a neighboring Southern Song dynasty fan painting depicting a wintry forest in ink on silk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

The borrower was Cypress Park Financial MP, registered in Delaware by a senior managing director at TWG, who previously worked for a Walter family office administrator.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Mitsubishi Motors also moved its headquarters to Franklin from Cypress in 2019.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

At Orange County’s Cypress College, which offers court reporter training, job fliers boasting six-figure salaries paper the walls.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

One late afternoon in the summer after her first year at USC— her junior year, given all her Cypress credits—she took Mitchell to the movies at the Cerritos mall.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

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