Definition of American arborvitae
: an evergreen tree ( Thuja occidentalis) of eastern North America that has a conical or columnar form, reddish-brown bark, flattened branchlets in horizontal planes with closely attached scalelike leaves, and soft, decay-resistant wood and that has numerous ornamental cultivars
— called also eastern arborvitae, eastern white cedar, swamp cedar, northern white cedar, white cedar, yellow cedar
— compare oriental arborvitaeTest Your Vocabulary
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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The first known use of American arborvitae was in 1785
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