tree of life
Americannoun
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a tree in the Garden of Eden that yielded food giving everlasting life. Genesis 2:9; 3:22.
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a tree in the heavenly Jerusalem with leaves for the healing of the nations. Revelation 22:2.
noun
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Old Testament a tree in the Garden of Eden, the fruit of which had the power of conferring eternal life (Genesis 2:9; 3:22)
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New Testament a tree in the heavenly Jerusalem, for the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:2)
Etymology
Origin of tree of life
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English
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.
Cooperative breeding is a strategy that’s arisen across the tree of life.
From Slate • May 10, 2026
In yeast they are extremely small and precise -- a striking oddity in the tree of life that has puzzled chromosome biologists for decades.
From Science Daily • Mar. 10, 2026
But residents can no longer view the bright autumn colours of the tree of life, a symbol often painted by Behzad, as the wooden door has been padlocked shut.
From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026
The possibility of a genealogical tree of life is predicated on the existence of an underlying process of heredity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025
We'd gotten them from a Turkish wholesaler: blue branches spreading across a shiny white background, a design called the tree of life.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
