cypress

¹

[ sahy-pruhs ]

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.

cypress

²

or cy·prus

[ sahy-pruhs ]

noun

, Obsolete.

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

Cypress

³

[ sahy-pruhs ]

noun

1. a city in SW California.

cypress

¹

/ ˈsaɪprəs /

noun

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

cypress

²

/ 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

Word History and Origins

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of cypress¹

C14 cyprus from the island of Cyprus

Origin of cypress²

Old English cypresse, from Latin cyparissus, from Greek kuparissos; related to Latin cupressus

Example Sentences

Tom Sliter changes the subject to wood with a shot of Cypress shavings, whose curved petals segue to Eric Johnson’s photo of two red roses.

From Washington Post

There are many varieties of the hinoki false cypress, Chamaecyparis obtusa, for example.

From Washington Post

Cypress declined to comment on any talks with the automaker.

From Fortune

So we made our fire breaks around these big old cypresses because we wanted to save them.

From Outside Online

The procession continued on to the Cypress Hill Cemetery, where Ramos was buried the week before.

From The Daily Beast

There were also beams of cypress and several other types of wood.

From The Daily Beast

Even more striking were her findings regarding one of the cypress beams.

From The Daily Beast

St. Joseph's Abbey opened a casket business in 2007, selling high-end handcrafted cypress caskets to help finance its operations.

From The Daily Beast

Investigators with the Cypress Police Economic Crimes Unit had been quietly building a case and chose this moment to arrest them.

From The Daily Beast

There'll be heaps uh fun in the Cypress Hills country when they get t' runnin' the whisky-jacks out.

From Project Gutenberg

They didn't linger long at Benton, but got under way and marched overland to the Cypress Hills.

From Project Gutenberg

Loftily pierce the tall white minarets into the quivering heavens, while the solemn cypress throws its shade below.

From Project Gutenberg

Before the door of the house were set branches of pine or cypress as a warning that the house was polluted by death.

From Project Gutenberg

Godfrey cast himself beneath a cypress, and his snoring soon told its story.

From Project Gutenberg