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cypress

 
Dictionary: cy·press   (sī'prĭs) pronunciation
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cypress
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cypress

Monterey cypress

(Wendy Smith)
n.
    1. Any of various evergreen trees or shrubs of the genus Cupressus, native to Eurasia and North America and having opposite, scalelike leaves and globose woody cones.
    2. Any of several similar or related coniferous trees, such as the bald cypress.
    3. The wood of any of these trees.
  2. Cypress branches used as a symbol of mourning.

[Middle English cipres, from Old French, from Late Latin cypressus, probably blend of Latin cupressus and cyparissus (from Greek kuparissos).]


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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: cypress
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Italian cypress (Cupressus sempervirens).
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Italian cypress (Cupressus sempervirens). (credit: W.H. Hodge)
Any of 12 species of ornamental and timber evergreen conifers constituting the genus Cupressus of the family Cupressaceae, which includes more than 130 species found throughout the world. The leaves are usually paired or in threes and are small and scalelike. A few of the many economically important genera in the cypress family are Cupressus, Thuja (arborvitae), Calocedrus (incense cedar), and Juniperus (juniper). Arborvitae, cypress, and juniper are especially important as timber sources or ornamentals. They also contain useful oils, resins, and tannins.

For more information on cypress, visit Britannica.com.

Architecture: cypress
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A moderately strong, hard, and heavy softwood of the US; its heartwood is naturally decay-resistant and is used for exterior and interior construction where durability is required.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: cypress
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cypress, common name for members of the Cupressaceae, a widely distributed family of coniferous shrubs and trees, several yielding valuable timber. The major genera are Juniperus (juniper), Thuja (arborvitae), and Cupressus (the true cypresses). Species of the latter, found in S Europe, East Asia, and W North America, are resinous evergreens with a fragrant, durable wood and scalelike leaves. The Monterey cypress (C. macrocarpa) is native to a limited region around the Bay of Monterey, Calif., but is cultivated in many parts of the world. It is sometimes planted as a hedge. The cypress of classical literature is the European C. sempervirens or Italian cypress. It has since early times been symbolic of mourning and, more recently, of immortality. The gates of St. Peter's at Rome, which stood for 1,100 years, were made of its wood. The funereal, or mourning, cypress (C. funebris) of China, with "weeping" branches, is a popular ornamental elsewhere. American trees of the genus Chamaecyparis of the same family are also called cypresses. Important as timber trees are the Lawson cypress, or Port Orford cedar (C. lawsoniana), and the Nootka, Sitka, or Alaska yellow cypress (C. nootkatensis), both of NW North America. C. thyoides, called white cedar in E North America, is a smaller tree also used for lumber. The lumber called cypress in the S United States is chiefly from trees of the family Taxodiaceae (bald cypress family). The true cypress family is classified in the division Pinophyta, class Pinopsida, order Coniferales.

Veterinary Dictionary: cypress
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cupressus macrocarpa. Called also Monterey cypress.

Word Tutor: cypress
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A kind of evergreen tree.

pronunciation For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow. — Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931).

Wikipedia: Cypress
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Not to be confused with Cyprus.
For other uses, see Cypress (disambiguation).
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Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2008)
Monterey Cypresses (Cupressus macrocarpa) planted in Melbourne, Australia
The Lone Cypress on 17-Mile Drive California United States. This is one of the most famous cypress trees.

Cypress is the name applied to many plants in the cypress family Cupressaceae, which is a conifer of northern temperate regions. Most cypress species are trees, while a few are shrubs. Most plants bearing the common name cypress are in the genera Cupressus and Chamaecyparis, but several other genera in the family also carry the name.


Inexplicably the Cupressaceae family also contains 13-16 other genera (not listed above) that as of yet do not bear cypress in their common names.

The word cypress is also used as a descriptor for the angiosperm vine in the bindweed family Convolvulaceae, known as the Cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit). The plant called "summer cypress" is Kochia scoparia (Amaranthaceae).

DNA analysis has shown that redwood trees are also in the cypress family.

Cypress trees can be used in the making of shingles. Joshua D. Brown, the first settler of Kerrville, Texas, made his living producing shingles from cypress growing along the Guadalupe River of the Texas Hill Country.[1]

Contents

Iran's ancient cypresses

Further information: Oldest tree

Cypress was the first choice for Iranian Gardens. In all of the famous Persian Gardens, such as Fin Garden, Mahaan, Dowlat-Abad, and others, this tree plays a central role in their design. The oldest living Cypressis the Sarv-e-Abarkooh in Iran's Yazd Province. Its age is estimated to be approximately 4000 years.

Symbolism

In Greek mythology, the cypress is associated with Artemis. Ancient Roman funerary rites used it extensively. Cupressus sempervirens is the principal cemetery tree both in the Western and Muslim worlds. Cypresses are used extensively the Shahnameh, the great Iranian epic poem by Ferdowsi.

Search Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cupressus sempervirens

See also

References

  1. ^ Historical marker, Texas Historical Commission, Kerrville, Texas, 1971

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Translations: Cypress
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - cypres

Nederlands (Dutch)
cipres(senhout)

Français (French)
n. - cyprès

Deutsch (German)
n. - Zypresse

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (φυτολ.) κυπαρίσσι

Italiano (Italian)
cipresso

Português (Portuguese)
n. - cipreste (m) (Bot.), ramo (m) (fig.), crepe (m)

Русский (Russian)
кипарис

Español (Spanish)
n. - ciprés

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - cypress

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
柏, 白扁柏, 落羽杉, 柏树材

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 柏, 白扁柏, 落羽杉, 柏樹材

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 사이프러스 (상록 침엽수)

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - イトスギ, イトスギ材

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) نوع من الشجر‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮ברוש (עץ)‬

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Dictionary. 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.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Architecture. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.  Read more
Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
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