spruce

1
[ sproos ]
See synonyms for: sprucesprucedsprucessprucing on Thesaurus.com

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.

  1. the wood of any such tree.

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

  2. containing or abounding in spruce trees.

Origin of spruce

1
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

Words Nearby spruce

Other definitions for spruce (2 of 2)

spruce2
[ sproos ]

adjective,spruc·er, spruc·est.
  1. trim in dress or appearance; neat; smart; dapper.

verb (used with object),spruced, spruc·ing.
  1. to make spruce or smart (often followed by up): Spruce up the children before the company comes.

verb (used without object),spruced, spruc·ing.
  1. to make oneself spruce (usually followed by up).

Origin of spruce

2
First recorded in 1580–90; obsolete spruce jerkin originally, jerkin made of spruce leather, i.e., leather imported from Prussia (see spruce1), hence fine, smart, etc.

Other words from spruce

  • spruce·ly, adverb
  • spruce·ness, noun
  • un·spruced, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use spruce in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for spruce (1 of 2)

spruce1

/ (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

Origin of spruce

1
C17: short for Spruce fir, from C14 Spruce Prussia, changed from Pruce, via Old French from Latin Prussia

British Dictionary definitions for spruce (2 of 2)

spruce2

/ (spruːs) /


adjective
  1. neat, smart, and trim

Origin of spruce

2
C16: perhaps from Spruce leather a fashionable leather imported from Prussia; see spruce 1

Derived forms of spruce

  • sprucely, adverb
  • spruceness, noun

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