tree of life

American  

noun

1. a tree in the Garden of Eden that yielded food giving everlasting life. Genesis 2:9; 3:22.

2. a tree in the heavenly Jerusalem with leaves for the healing of the nations. Revelation 22:2.

3. arbor vitae.

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tree of life British  

noun

1. 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)

2. New Testament a tree in the heavenly Jerusalem, for the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:2)

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Etymology

Origin of tree of life

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English

Example Sentences

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

Each species on Earth can trace its roots back to the same cluster of ancestral organisms and occupies a distinct position on a single, complex, prolifically branching, unfathomably extensive and largely invisible tree of life.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

"It makes Salterella difficult to place on the tree of life," explained Prescott Vayda, a geosciences graduate student who led a recent study on the mysterious fossil published in the Journal of Paleontology.

From Science Daily • Nov. 12, 2025

The women chose to stitch on to their panel the houses of Camden, where Michael lived, and the tree of life, to represent the parks in London he was fond of.

From BBC • Jun. 12, 2025

She dropped down in the garden, like a leaf tumbling off the oak tree of life, just before I was supposed to meet you at Listening Rock.

From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles