1. Any of various deciduous trees of the genus Ulmus, characteristically having arching or curving branches and serrate leaves with asymmetrical bases. Elms are widely planted as shade trees.
2. The wood of one of these trees.

[Middle English, from Old English.]

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.