red cedar

noun

1
: a common juniper (Juniperus virginiana) chiefly of the eastern U.S. that has dark green closely imbricated scalelike leaves
also : a related tree (J. silicicola) of the southeastern U.S.
2
3
: the red or reddish-brown wood of a red cedar

Examples of red cedar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web At the end of a winding road from Morzine, the first view of Avoriaz is of the red cedar buildings of La Falaise, perched on the edge of a monumental cliff like some warped cruise ship. Toby Skinner, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Jan. 2022 The best woods include osage, Oregon yew, white ash, Southern red cedar, black walnut, black locust, apple, and mulberry. Keith McCafferty, Field & Stream, 29 June 2023 His and other milling operations were drawn to the area by its abundance of virgin eastern red cedars, the slow-growing premier pencil stock that the industry soon used up. Danny Freedman, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 June 2023 The 36-foot tall pole had been carved from red cedar in the 1860s to honor Ts’wawit, a warrior from the Indigenous Nisga’a Nation, who was next in line to become chief before he was killed in conflict. Emma Bubola, New York Times, 29 Aug. 2023 Many land owners now are battling fast-spreading eastern red cedar and juniper trees that are contributing to the grassland ecosystem collapse, said Dirac Twidwell, a rangeland ecologist at the University of Nebraska. Tammy Webber The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 27 Aug. 2023 Since the celebrations began in 2003, the county has planted over 33,000 native trees, including red maple, tulip poplar, white oak, black walnut, eastern red cedar and redbud, according to a news release. Baltimore Sun, 18 Apr. 2023 In 2019, after finding a new local source of eastern red cedar, Musgrave started selling its Tennessee Red, a naturally fragrant, marbled throwback to the early U.S. pencil industry and the hallowed wood that put Shelbyville on the map. Danny Freedman, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 June 2023 The Western saw-whet owl likes a twelve-year-old thicket of fir and ponderosa pine; deer find soft green bites in a four-year-old stand of red cedar and white pine. The New Yorker, 12 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'red cedar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1682, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of red cedar was in 1682

Dictionary Entries Near red cedar

Cite this Entry

“Red cedar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red%20cedar. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

red cedar

noun
1
: any of several U.S. evergreen trees that are conifers with scalelike leaves and fragrant red or reddish brown wood
2
: the wood of a red cedar
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!