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sequoia

American  
[si-kwoi-uh] / sɪˈkwɔɪ ə /

sequoia British  
/ sɪˈkwɔɪə /

noun

  1. either of two giant Californian coniferous trees, Sequoia sempervirens ( redwood ) or Sequoiadendron giganteum (formerly Sequoia gigantea ) ( big tree or giant sequoia ): family Taxodiaceae

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

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Vocabulary lists containing sequoia

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