ponderosa pine

noun

pon·​der·​o·​sa pine ˌpän-də-ˈrō-sə- 

-zə-

: a tall pine (Pinus ponderosa) of western North America with long needles usually in groups of two or three

also : its strong reddish straight-grained wood

Examples of ponderosa pine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Vast swaths of the ponderosa pine forests that blanket Colorado’s Front Range mountains could turn rust-colored and die over the next five years as pine beetles begin to spread aggressively, new federal forecasts show. —Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025

After your subterranean romp, spend the night at Under Canvas’s Mount Rushmore outpost (50 minutes away), on the site of an original gold-mining settlement set among ponderosa pines. —Nicholas Derenzo, AFAR Media, 16 Sep. 2025

Flagstaff boasts Arizona's highest mountain peak, a national forest abundant in ponderosa pines, a stretch of historic Route 66 and the observatory where Pluto was discovered. —Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 15 Sep. 2025

The city is hemmed in by more than 1.6 million acres of ponderosa pine forest, laced with nearly 300 miles of biking trails, and yet a mere 20-minute drive away the landscape shifts dramatically into high desert plateaus, where temperatures soar to 90°F in peak summer. —Sophie Morgan, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin ponderosa, specific epithet of Pinus ponderosa, from Latin, feminine of ponderosus ponderous

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ponderosa pine

• aminophylline
• azathioprine
• chlorpheniramine
• cholestyramine
• cryptocrystalline
• diphenhydramine
• hydroxyproline
• intercrystalline
• microcrystalline
• monocrystalline
• nanocrystalline
• neuroendocrine

Kids Definition

ponderosa pine

noun

pon·​der·​o·​sa pine ˌpän-də-ˌrō- sə- 

-zə-

: a tall timber pine of western North America with long needles in groups of 2 or 3

also : its strong reddish straight-grained wood