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ponderosa pine

American  
[pon-duh-roh-suh, pon-] / ˈpɒn dəˈroʊ sə, ˌpɒn- /

noun

  1. Also called western yellow pine.  a large pine, Pinus ponderosa, of western North America, having yellowish-brown bark: the state tree of Montana.

  2. the light, soft wood of this tree, used for making furniture and in the construction of houses, ships, etc.


Etymology

Origin of ponderosa pine

1875–80, < New Latin Pinus ponderosa (1836) literally, heavy pine; see ponderous

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:

Yet one magnetic painting is atypical of that first stay in the Taos area: a striking ponderosa pine.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 20, 2026

From lowest elevation to highest, this included ponderosa pine, piñon pine, Englemann spruce, Douglas fir and limber pine.

From Science Daily Nov. 3, 2023

Buildup of fallen pine needles and branches on forest floors coupled with fir trees that have crowded into more historically spread-out, ponderosa pine forests mean fires travel faster.

From Seattle Times Aug. 29, 2023

A ponderosa pine and cedar forest was reduced to a landscape of charcoal sticks.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 1, 2022

He breathed deeply, and each breath had a distinct smell of snow from the north, of ponderosa pine on the rimrock above; finally he smelled horses from the direction of the corral, and he smiled.

From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko

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