elm
Americannoun
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any tree of the genus Ulmus, as U. procera English elm, characterized by the gradually spreading columnar manner of growth of its branches.
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the wood of such a tree.
noun
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any ulmaceous tree of the genus Ulmus, occurring in the N hemisphere, having serrated leaves and winged fruits (samaras): cultivated for shade, ornament, and timber
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the hard heavy wood of this tree
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of elm
before 1000; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Old High German elm; akin to Old Norse almr, Latin ulmus
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Their findings show that temperate woodland species, including oak, elm, and hazel, were present much earlier than suggested by pollen records from Britain.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 17, 2026
However, Dutch elm disease means many trees die before they reach their full height.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026
"Most people have forgotten what elm trees look like," Stamp said.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026
And when things feel hopeless, we step outside our door and watch the golden light stream through our old California elm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2025
Mudgett gouged his initials into an old elm tree at his grandfather’s farm, where the family marked his growth with notches in a doorjamb.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
With its canopy of interlocking elms, this promenade kept New Yorkers cool in the summer, but let them bask in the winter sun during the colder months.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2025
The three at 350 S. Grand Ave. were Chinese elms, while the others nearby were ficus trees, Valenzuela said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2025
Maples, elms, and magnolia trees bloomed almost a month prematurely in the Chicago region.
From Salon ● May 16, 2024
A Lincolnshire oak tree which survived a wartime bomb and one of the UK's most famous elms are in the running to be crowned Tree of the Year 2023.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2023
To the public the choice may easily appear to be one of stark black-or-white simplicity: Shall we have birds or shall we have elms?
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
