Lexic.us

Definition of Spruce

1. Adjective. Marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners. "A jaunty red hat"

2. Verb. Make neat, smart, or trim. "Titivate the child"

3. Noun. Light soft moderately strong wood of spruce trees; used especially for timbers and millwork.

4. Verb. Dress and groom with particular care, as for a special occasion. "He spruced up for the party"

5. Noun. Any coniferous tree of the genus Picea.

Definition of Spruce

1. n. Any coniferous tree of the genus Picea, as the Norway spruce (P. excelsa), and the white and black spruces of America (P. alba and P. nigra), besides several others in the far Northwest. See Picea.

2. a. Neat, without elegance or dignity; -- formerly applied to things with a serious meaning; now chiefly applied to persons.

3. v. t. To dress with affected neatness; to trim; to make spruce.

4. v. i. To dress one's self with affected neatness; as, to spruce up.

Definition of Spruce

1. Noun. (obsolete) Prussia. ¹

2. Noun. Any of various large coniferous evergreen trees from the genus ''Picea'', found in northern temperate and boreal regions; originally and more fully spruce fir. ¹

3. Noun. The wood of a spruce. ¹

4. Noun. (context: used attributively) (non-gloss definition Made of the wood of the spruce.) ¹

5. Adjective. (comparable) Smart, trim, and elegant in appearance; fastidious (said of a person). ¹

6. Verb. (usually with ''up'') to arrange neatly; tidy up ¹

7. Verb. (usually with ''up'') to make oneself spruce (neat and elegant in appearance) ¹

8. Verb. to tease ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Spruce

1. neat and trim in appearance [adj SPRUCER, SPRUCEST] : SPRUCELY [adv] / to make spruce [v SPRUCED, SPRUCING, SPRUCES] - See also: spruce

Medical Definition of Spruce

1. 1. Any coniferous tree of the genus Picea, as the Norway spruce (P. Excelsa), and the white and black spruces of America (P. Alba and P. Nigra), besides several others in the far Northwest. See Picea. 2. The wood or timber of the spruce tree. 3. Prussia leather; pruce. "Spruce, a sort of leather corruptly so called for Prussia leather." (E. Phillips) Douglas spruce, a handsome American grouse (Dendragapus Canadensis) found in Canada and the Northern United States. Synonym: Canada grouse. Origin: OE. Spruce or Pruse, Prussia, Prussian. So named because it was first known as a native of Prussia, or because its sprouts were used for making, spruce beer. Cf. Spruce beer, below, Spruce. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Spruce

sproinged sproinging sproings sproingy sprong spront spronts sprote sprout sprouted

sprouted bread sprouteth sprouting sprouts sprouty spruce (current term) spruce bark beetle spruce beer spruce gall aphid spruce grouse

spruce pine spruce squirrel spruce up spruced spruced up sprucely spruceness sprucenesses sprucer spruces

Literary usage of Spruce

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Modern Pulp and Paper Making: A Practical Treatise by George Strong Witham (1920)
"Possible Uses—Same as white spruce. Sulphate Pulp Common Names-Black spruce (NH, Vt., Mass., ... Sulphite Pulp Character and Uses—Similar to White spruce. ..."

2. An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language by Walter William Skeat (1893)
"The gentlemen who adopted that of Prussia or spruce seem, from the description of it, ... It is sufficient to make sure that spruce really did mean Prussia, ..."

3. The North American Sylva, Or, A Description of the Forest Trees, of the by François André Michaux, Augustus Lucas Hillhouse (1819)
"THIS tree, which appertains to the coldest regions of North America, is called Epinette noire and Epinette a la biere in Canada, Double spruce in the ..."

4. The Tree Book: A Popular Guide to a Knowledge of the Trees of North America by Julia Ellen Rogers (1905)
"is the white spruce of the Rocky Mountains and the Cascade range in Washington ... The Engelmann spruce is planted in the Eastern States, where it thrives. ..."

5. History of the Lumber Industry of America by James Elliott Defebaugh (1907)
"THE EASTERN spruce TRADE. The changes wrought by the evolution of transportation facilities, the necessity arising from the exhaustion or depletion of ..."

6. Manual of Tree Diseases by William Howard Rankin (1918)
"CHAPTER XXIX spruce DISEASES Six or more species of spruce ... Several diseases cause damage to spruce in the forest. The most important disease affecting ..."

7. Transactions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers by American Society of Mechanical Engineers (1895)
"Hence, it would seem desirable to obtain some more results of tests of the strength of spruce columns of ordinary average quality, such as is in common use. ..."

8. The National Parks Portfolio by United States National Park Service, Robert Sterling Yard (1921)
"spruce Tree House is next in size; Balcony House and Square Tower House are ... Cliff Palace is three hundred feet long; spruce Tree House two hundred and ..."

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