sequoia
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of sequoia
An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; named after Sequoya
Explanation
A sequoia is an ancient, towering redwood tree that grows on the coast of northern California and southern Oregon. Sequoias are the largest trees on Earth. Before commercial logging destroyed many of them, giant sequoias covered the entire coast of California, filling about two million acres of forest. The remaining trees are among the very oldest things on our planet; some are more than 2,000 years old. Sequoias are massive evergreens, the largest of which is as tall as a 30-story building. The sequoia was named after the Cherokee man, Sequoya, who invented a written form of the Cherokee language in the 1820s.
Vocabulary lists containing sequoia
Scrabble: Words with 5 Vowels
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 24–March 1, 2024
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Two Degrees
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Authorities are investigating the death of a 29-year-old woman who was fatally struck by a tree limb while hiking through a grove of sequoia trees in Yosemite National Park.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 29, 2025
Without prompting he'll enthusiastically offer up fun facts about the Golden Gate Bridge, the subject of his book, or the root system of a sequoia.
From Salon • Nov. 21, 2024
Honorable mention goes to the General Sherman Tree, a giant sequoia that’s one of the largest and oldest trees in the world.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 28, 2024
My favorite and inspiring tree is a sequoia that lives in a quarry south of Quilcene on the Olympic Peninsula.
From Seattle Times • May 24, 2024
Your ageless heart as you move through time, layer on layer, tender sequoia .
From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom
![]()
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.