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Christmas tree
Definitions
- 1 An evergreen tree (usually a conifer), or an artificial tree made to resemble this, which is typically decorated with lights and ornaments and often an angel or star at its tip, and used as a decoration during the Christmas holiday season.
""I and your mother," he wrote, "sit in the evenings, and gild apples and nuts, because we intend to dress up a Christmas tree,[…]["]"
- 2 an ornamented evergreen used as a Christmas decoration wordnet
- 3 Something which resembles a Christmas tree (sense 1) in appearance (for example, in having coloured lights) or shape.; Something which is elaborately decorated. broadly, informal
"The modern infantryman is a Christmas tree of weaponry, with grenades and extra ammunition hanging from all parts of his upper body."
- 4 medium to tall fir of western North America having a conic crown and branches in tiers; leaves smell of orange when crushed wordnet
- 5 Something which resembles a Christmas tree (sense 1) in appearance (for example, in having coloured lights) or shape.; A pattern of muscles visible in the lower back, resembling in outline the shape of a conifer. broadly
"The V-bar pull-up is a great retro exercise I pulled from the Arnold [Schwarzenegger] & Franco Columbo^([sic – meaning Franco Columbu]) Golden Era bodybuilding days. […] These are great for really developing that Christmas tree in your lower back and the proper arch at the top is key in that regard."
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- 6 tall timber tree of central and southern Europe having a regular crown and grey bark wordnet
- 7 Something which resembles a Christmas tree (sense 1) in appearance (for example, in having coloured lights) or shape.; A panel of indicator lights in an aircraft or a submarine. broadly, slang
"Farnsworth and Reed […] have reported on comparative reaction times to "Christmas tree" signal lights with respect to color deficiency. One of the most important color discriminations involved in the operation of a submarine is that of reading the "Christmas tree," a panel of 30 to 60 small jewel-shaped lights, used to indicate whether hull openings, such as hatches and vents, are sealed or not."
- 8 a terrestrial evergreen shrub or small tree of western Australia having brilliant yellow-orange flowers; parasitic on roots of grasses wordnet
- 9 Something which resembles a Christmas tree (sense 1) in appearance (for example, in having coloured lights) or shape.; An alert area at an air base with aircraft parked in stubs arranged at a 45-degree angle to a central taxiway to enable them to move rapidly to a runway; these were constructed by the Strategic Air Command of the United States Air Force during the Cold War (generally 1947–1991). US, broadly, historical
"The existing ramp, the part that the B-52 used, a great amount of it was out in the alert area, on what we call a christmas tree^([sic]) stub at the end of the runway, in a dispersed posture."
- 10 Australian tree or shrub with red flowers; often used in Christmas decoration wordnet
- 11 Something which resembles a Christmas tree (sense 1) in appearance (for example, in having coloured lights) or shape.; A pole with lights, similar to a traffic signal, used for signalling the start of an automobile race. broadly
"Then, after a smoky-burnout to warm up the tires, you're lined up next to another competitor and the Christmas tree lights blink down … yellow, yellow, yellow, green!"
- 12 Something which resembles a Christmas tree (sense 1) in appearance (for example, in having coloured lights) or shape.; A collection of gauges, valves, and other components installed at the top of wellhead to control the flow of gas or oil. broadly, slang
"Wellheads, which support downhole tubing, casing, and other components, are connected at the top of wells to Christmas trees, which control production rates and fluid flows out of the well and may also direct fluids and equipment into the well"
- 13 Something which resembles a Christmas tree (sense 1) in appearance (for example, in having coloured lights) or shape.; A 4-3-2-1 formation, with four defenders, three centre midfielders, two attacking midfielders and a striker in a triangular pattern. broadly
"That or, in the name, something given a title to cover up the fact that all it was, was a football formation. But then the Christmas Tree came along."
- 14 A Christmas party, especially one organized for (underprivileged) children by a charity, a school, etc. broadly
"The Dennison Associates hold a Christmas Tree for Children and more than 300 little tots are entertained."
- 15 Often with a descriptive word: any of several shrubs or trees native to Australia which bloom in summer at the end of the year around Christmastime, and so may be used as a Christmas decoration; especially the fire tree or moodjar (Nuytsia floribunda). Australia
"SYDNEY CHRISTMAS-TREE [running head] […] The shrub chosen as the Sydney "Christmas" is well worthy of the honour […] The flowers, which are irregularly star-shaped, […] continue increasing in size, and gradually ripening in tint, becoming first a pearl white, then palest blush, then pink, rose-colour, and crimson: the constant change taking place in them, and the presence of all these hues at one time on a spray of half a dozen flowers, has a singularly pretty appearance."
- 16 Synonym of pohutukawa (“a coastal evergreen tree, Metrosideros excelsa, native to New Zealand and producing a brilliant display of red flowers with prominent stamens around Christmastime”) New-Zealand
"Another interesting and characteristic tree confined to the province of Auckland is the pohutukawa (Metrosideros tomentosa) or Christmas tree of the settlers, so called from its blooming at the Christmas season and taking the place, in household decoration, of the berried mistletoe and holly."
Etymology
PIE word *dóru From Christmas + tree, a calque of German Weynacht Baum (obsolete, 17th c.), Weihnachtsbaum, from Weynacht, Weihnacht (literary or poetic variant of Weihnachten (“Christmas”)) + -s- (genitive interfix) + Baum (“tree”). The custom of Christmas trees was adopted in the United Kingdom from Germany in the 19th century, having been popularized by their use by the royal family during the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901. Sense 3 (“Christmas party”) refers to the fact that there is usually a Christmas tree (sense 1) at the event.
See also for "christmas tree"
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