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• cypress
  cypress

  noun

  any of several evergreen coniferous trees constituting the genus Cupressus, having dark-green, scalelike, overlapping leaves.
• Cypress
  Cypress

  noun

  a city in SW California.

cypress

¹ American  

[sahy-pruhs] / ˈsaɪ prəs /

noun

1. any of several evergreen coniferous trees constituting the genus Cupressus, having dark-green, scalelike, overlapping leaves.

2. any of various other coniferous trees of allied genera, as the bald cypress.

3. any of various unrelated plants resembling the true cypress.

4. the wood of these trees or plants.

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cypress ² American  

[sahy-pruhs] / ˈsaɪ prəs /

Or cyprus

noun

Obsolete.

1. a fine, thin fabric resembling lawn or crepe, formerly used in black for mourning garments and trimmings.

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Cypress ³ American  

[sahy-pruhs] / ˈsaɪ prəs /

noun

1. a city in SW California.

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cypress ¹ British  

/ ˈsaɪprəs /

noun

1. any coniferous tree of the N temperate genus Cupressus, having dark green scalelike leaves and rounded cones: family Cupressaceae See also Leyland cypress

2. any of several similar and related trees, such as the widely cultivated Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ( Lawson's cypress ), of the western US

3. any of various other coniferous trees, esp the swamp cypress

4. the wood of any of these trees

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cypress ² British  

/ ˈsaɪprəs /

noun

1. a fabric, esp a fine silk, lawn, or crepelike material, often black and worn as mourning

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Etymology

Origin of cypress¹

before 1000; Middle English, Old English cypresse < Late Latin cypressus, apparently blend of Latin cupressus and cyparissus < Greek kypárissos; replacing Middle English cipres < Anglo-French, Old French < Late Latin, as above

Origin of cypress²

1350–1400; Middle English cipre ( s ), cyprus, after Cyprus

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cypress Cypress

A cypress, representing the Tree of Life, crowns the central portal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

At the impact site, a fresh evergreen scent wafted through the air from cypress trees whose branches were blown off in the strike.

From Barron's ● Mar. 1, 2026

She journeys to Chile’s remote Punta Arenas, home to the scenic Sara Braun Municipal Cemetery, a profusion of pruned cypress trees and a statue of an Unknown Indian.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2025

Green-roofed cabins housing hundreds of campers and staff dotted the area, which is lush with cypress and live oak trees.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2025

That is, they lived in the pipes when it was damp but in fine weather they lived in the shadow of the black cypress tree at the top of the lot.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

The borrower was Cypress Park Financial MP, registered in Delaware by a senior managing director at TWG, who previously worked for a Walter family office administrator.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Maybe the Faces of Elysian Valley, a traffic circle sculpture that Huckle said “looks like Easter Island in the middle of Cypress Park.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

Ruiz played with a hamstring injury at Cypress College last season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

The festival got under way on Friday in Donington Park, Leicestershire, with Cypress Hill one of the acts to grace the main stage.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

She posed the question not long after Terryl arrived at Cypress, a few months after high school graduation.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel