fir
1 Americannoun
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any coniferous tree belonging to the genus Abies, of the pine family, characterized by its pyramidal style of growth, flat needles, and erect cones.
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the wood of such a tree.
abbreviation
noun
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any pyramidal coniferous tree of the N temperate genus Abies , having single needle-like leaves and erect cones: family Pinaceae See also red fir silver fir balsam fir
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any of various other trees of the family Pinaceae , such as the Douglas fir
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the wood of any of these trees
Etymology
Origin of fir
1250–1300; Middle English firre, Old English fyrh; cognate with Old Saxon furie; akin to Old English furh- (in fuhrwudu pine), Old Norse fura fir, Latin quercus oak (< *perkwu- )
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.
At last, we found it: a sturdy Douglas fir with boughs that had pleasant symmetry and enough firmness to carry ornaments.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025
The company’s forests in Oregon and Washington state are particularly valuable because they produce desirable wood from Douglas fir trees.
From Barron's • Dec. 5, 2025
The gentle slopes of Ukraine's Carpathian mountains, smothered in brilliant green spruce and fir trees, stretch into the distance.
From BBC • Aug. 11, 2025
It was supported by more than 4,400 pilings — 70-foot Douglas fir beams driven about 20 feet into the ocean floor.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2025
Annie, the fir tree, that the Nolans had cherished with waterings and manurings, had long since sickened and died.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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.
