Arborvitae
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Any of several North American or Asian conifers, of the genera Thuja and Thujopsis or the species Platycladus orientalis, grown for timber or ornament.
"She was at that moment just outside the door, and from the position of the Colonel, framed between the pillars at the other end of the piazza and against the dark green foliage of an arborvitae standing beyond."
- 2 any of several Asian and North American conifers of the genera Thuja and Thujopsis wordnet
- 3 The white nerve tissue of the cerebellum that has a branching structure.
Example
More examples"She was at that moment just outside the door, and from the position of the Colonel, framed between the pillars at the other end of the piazza and against the dark green foliage of an arborvitae standing beyond."
Etymology
From Latin arbor (“tree”) + vitae (“of life”), literally “tree of life”, probably referring to the evergreen leaves. The anatomical sense from the branched, tree-like appearance of the tissue.
Related phrases
More for "arborvitae"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.