elm
Americannoun
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elms
plural
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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:
The wych elm is the last remaining tree of a row that was planted along the original promenade in the 19th century, to shelter it from the sea breeze.
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
However, Dutch elm disease means many trees die before they reach their full height.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026
Killconey the ferret extolled the virtues of his weasel friend, Scragg, who had met his death at the foot of the big elm tree.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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
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
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 street we are moving down is lined with leafy elms.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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