arborvitae

play

noun ar·bor·vi·tae \ ˌär-bər-ˈvī-tē \

Definition of arborvitae

:any of various evergreen trees and shrubs (especially genus Thuja) of the cypress family that usually have closely overlapping or compressed scale leaves and are often grown for ornament and in hedges

See arborvitae defined for kids

Recent Examples of arborvitae from the Web

Dear Dr. Dirt: Just transplanted three 9-inch arborvitae and wanted to find out how often to water them.

— dick crum, Indianapolis Star, "Dr. Dirt: Japanese beetle can bore holes into leaves," 18 Aug. 2017
The heavy rain followed by the recent spell of hot and dry weather has increased the stress on your arborvitae.

— tim johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Evergreen that's taken on a brown color is beyond saving," 3 July 2017
Conducted by plant company Proven Winners, the online bracket-style competition pitted all kinds of shrubs – from arborvitae to weigela – against each other in a leafy version of basketball’s March Madness.

— debbie arrington, sacbee.com, "Pink, white and blue; this super shrub has it made in the shade," 30 June 2017
A K9 unit was called in and caught the man hiding in some arborvitae.

— samantha swindler, OregonLive.com, "No free transport to watch 'Walker, Texas Ranger': Forest Grove police log," 20 June 2017
High-resin woods, like spruce, pine, arborvitae and juniper, take longer to break down in the compost pile, as do oak and cottonwood tree leaves, which are high in tannin.

— betty cahill, The Denver Post, "Punch List: The third week in June is about time to harvest garlic in the Colorado garden," 16 June 2017
There was no landscaping yet — no Rose of Sharon hedge, no arborvitae screen, no butterfly garden, but the cargo on that flatbed trailer was more special than all of that.

— by susan vollenweider, kansascity.com, "Set was a swing and a hit for neighborhood," 3 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'arborvitae.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of arborvitae

New Latin arbor vitae, literally, tree of life

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1646

See Words from the same year

Learn More about arborvitae

See words that rhyme with arborvitae Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about arborvitae

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up arborvitae? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

arborvitae

Definition of arborvitae

Recent Examples of arborvitae from the Web

Origin and Etymology of arborvitae

Learn More about arborvitae

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

toothsome

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Let's Talk 'Tea'

8 Words and Phrases from Boxing and Wrestling

The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

Ask the Editors

Words of the Year: 1066

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Irregardless

Weird Plurals

Word Games

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Spell It

Add Diction

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066

arborvitae

Definition of arborvitae

Explore Merriam-Webster

Recent Examples of arborvitae from the Web

Origin and Etymology of arborvitae

Learn More about arborvitae

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066