spruce

¹ American  

[sproos] / sprus /

noun

1. any evergreen, coniferous tree of the genus Picea, of the pine family, having short, angular, needle-shaped leaves attached singly around twigs and bearing hanging cones with persistent scales.

2. any of various allied trees, as the Douglas fir and the hemlock spruce.

3. the wood of any such tree.

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adjective

1. made from the wood of a spruce tree or trees.

2. containing or abounding in spruce trees.

spruce ² American  

[sproos] / sprus /

adjective

sprucer, sprucest

1. trim in dress or appearance; neat; smart; dapper.

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verb (used with object)

spruced, sprucing

1. to make spruce or smart (often followed byup ).

   Spruce up the children before the company comes.

verb (used without object)

spruced, sprucing

1. to make oneself spruce (usually followed byup ).

spruce ¹ British  

/ spruːs /

noun

1. any coniferous tree of the N temperate genus Picea, cultivated for timber and for ornament: family Pinaceae. They grow in a pyramidal shape and have needle-like leaves and light-coloured wood See also Norway spruce blue spruce white spruce black spruce

2. the wood of any of these trees

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spruce ² British  

/ spruːs /

adjective

1. neat, smart, and trim

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Other Word Forms

• sprucely adverb
• spruceness noun
• unspruced adjective

Etymology

Origin of spruce¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, special use of Spruce, Sprus(e), variant of Pruce, Prus(se), from Old French Prusse, Pruisse, from Medieval Latin Prussia Prussia, source of the timber

Origin of spruce²

First recorded in 1580–90; obsolete spruce jerkin originally, jerkin made of spruce leather, i.e., leather imported from Prussia ( spruce ¹ ), hence fine, smart, etc.

Example Sentences

"Previously, it was spruces or cedars, but today, we find endemic species better adapted to the climate," Merdan Arazmedov, a member of Turkmenistan's Nature Protection Society, told AFP.

From Barron's

Greg Werkheiser, one of the lawyers who filed the lawsuit, said nothing is wrong with wanting to spruce up federal buildings, but there are proper ways to preserve historic structures, especially those made of granite.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yet for investors considering any last-minute “window dressing” to spruce up their portfolios before liquidity tends to dry up during the year-end holiday period, Sutherland of Schroders said that’s not a good idea.

From MarketWatch

If you’d like to spruce up your mashed sweet potatoes, try stirring in sour cream, butter and olive oil to make them extra creamy.

From Salon

Deep in the forest, high in the mountains—amidst the evergreens, the firs, the spruces—sits a giant panda.

From Literature