elm

American  

[elm] / ɛlm /

noun

• elms
  plural

1. any tree of the genus Ulmus, as U. procera English elm, characterized by the gradually spreading columnar manner of growth of its branches.

2. the wood of such a tree.

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elm British  

/ ɛlm /

noun

1. 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

2. the hard heavy wood of this tree

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• elms
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of elm

before 1000; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Old High German elm; akin to Old Norse almr, Latin ulmus

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

elm elms

As a native elm tree, it also resisted Dutch Elm disease, which destroyed most of the 30 million elms around the UK in the 1960s.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

To better understand its ecological effects, Jusino and her colleagues studied dead elm trees both with and without golden oyster mushrooms.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 24, 2026

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

Adults lay their eggs on elm trees and their decline has been linked to the spread of Dutch elm disease across Europe in the 20th Century.

From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026

From early fall until gathering time, the father and boy kept their eyes peered for the golden-green clumps with white berries that grew high up in the forks of water elm and sycamore trees.

From "Sounder" by William H. Armstrong

As a native elm tree, it also resisted Dutch Elm disease, which destroyed most of the 30 million elms around the UK in the 1960s.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Skyscrapers are something like the opposite of Manhattan’s elms: They cast the most shade at the coolest hours of the day and year.

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

The ash trees of Iowa City, planted to replace elms felled by Dutch elm disease, are now succumbing in turn.

From New York Times ● May 21, 2023

The leaves were falling from the elms, robbing the street of shelter.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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