giant sequoia

[ jahy-uhnt si-kwaw-uh ]

noun

1. an endangered coniferous tree, Sequoiadendron giganteum (formerly Sequoia gigantea ), of coastal California with massive girth and tremendous height, one of three extant species of subfamily Sequoioideae: the largest in volume and among the oldest of all living things, giant sequoias have been known to exceed 52,000 cubic feet (1,472 cubic meters) in trunk size, 300 feet (91.5 meters) in height, and 3,200 years in age. Compare redwood ¹( def 1 ).General Grant tree ( def ), General Sherman tree ( def ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of giant sequoia¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

The famed giant sequoia groves—and the 275-foot General Sherman tree—are still closed.

From Outside Online

Hundreds of giant sequoia trees burned, and images circulated the globe of officials draping the 200-foot-tall trees an aluminum blankets to prevent embers from igniting them.

From Outside Online

Strap on snowshoes or cross-country skis to make tracks along a groomed section of Glacier Point Road, or head to the Crane Flat area to pick up the relatively short trails to the Tuolumne Grove and Merced Grove of giant sequoias.

From Outside Online

On the plain grew giant sequoia, cypress, juniper, and other semitropical trees.

From Project Gutenberg

Not even in the giant sequoia groves of the Sierra have I found any spot more cathedral-like than this.

From Project Gutenberg

A giant sequoia lifts tons of solid matter and water up hundreds of feet.

From Project Gutenberg