n.
Any of various mostly needle-leaved or scale-leaved, chiefly evergreen, cone-bearing gymnospermous trees or shrubs such as pines, spruces, and firs.
[From New Latin Cōniferae, family name, from Latin, feminine pl. of cōnifer, cone-bearing : cōnus, cone (from Greek kōnos) + -fer, -fer.]
coniferous co·nif'er·ous (kō-nĭf'ər-əs, kə-) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
