timberline

[ tim-ber-lahyn ]

/ ˈtɪm bərˌlaɪn /

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See synonyms for timberline on Thesaurus.com

noun

the altitude above sea level at which timber ceases to grow.

the Arctic or Antarctic limit of tree growth.

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Also called tree line, tree·line

[tree-lahyn] /ˈtriˌlaɪn/ .

Origin of timberline

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70; timber + line¹

Words nearby timberline

timbering, timberjack, Timberlake, timberland, timber limit, timberline, timberman, timber mill, timber rattlesnake, timber right, timber wolf

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use timberline in a sentence

He blew across Chilcoot Pass, above timberline, in the first swirl of autumn snow.
The Red One|Jack London
All have had to cross their Badlands, ride roughshod above the timberline or grab for cover to avoid a ricochet.
The Land of Look Behind|Paul Cameron Brown
A little above them shone the snow line belting the giants of granite, and here the timberline spread in brown.
The Red River Half-Breed|Gustave Aimard
To these timberline drifts, when fringed with flowers, the mother and the cubs sometimes came.
Watched by Wild Animals|Enos A. Mills

Unfamiliar with timberline trees, two of the dogs in dodging the bears leaped into the matted growths.
Watched by Wild Animals|Enos A. Mills

British Dictionary definitions for timberline

timberline

/ (ˈtɪmbəˌlaɪn) /

noun

the altitudinal or latitudinal limit of normal tree growthSee also tree line

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

Scientific definitions for timberline

timberline

[ tĭm′bər-līn′ ]

A geographic boundary beyond which trees cannot grow. On the Earth as a whole, the timberline is the northernmost or southernmost latitude at which trees can survive; in a mountainous region, it is the highest elevation at which trees can survive. Also called tree line