spruce
American Heritage Dictionary:
Top
spruce1
(sprūs) 
n.
spruce2 (sprūs)
adj., spruc·er, spruc·est.
Neat, trim, and smart in appearance: "a good-looking man; spruce and dapper, and very tidy" (Anthony Trollope).
v., spruced, spruc·ing, spruc·es. v.tr.
To make neat and trim: spruced up the chairs with new slipcovers.
v.intr.
To make oneself neat and smart in appearance: He was sprucing for the school dance.
spruceness spruce'ness n.
n.
- Any of various coniferous evergreen trees of the genus Picea, having needlelike foliage, drooping cones, and soft wood often used for paper pulp.
- Any of various similar or related trees.
- The wood of any of these trees.
- A grayish green to dark greenish black.
[Short for obsolete Spruce fir, Prussian fir, from Middle English Spruce, Prussia, alteration of Pruce, from Anglo-Norman Pruz, from Medieval Latin Prussia.]
spruce2 (sprūs)
adj., spruc·er, spruc·est.
Neat, trim, and smart in appearance: "a good-looking man; spruce and dapper, and very tidy" (Anthony Trollope).
v., spruced, spruc·ing, spruc·es. v.tr.
To make neat and trim: spruced up the chairs with new slipcovers.
v.intr.
To make oneself neat and smart in appearance: He was sprucing for the school dance.
[Perhaps from obsolete spruce leather, Prussian leather, from Middle English Spruce, Prussia. See spruce1.]
sprucely spruce'ly adv.spruceness spruce'ness n.
Top
(click to enlarge)
Black spruce (Picea mariana) (credit: Grant Heilman Photography)
Black spruce (Picea mariana) (credit: Grant Heilman Photography)
For more information on spruce, visit Britannica.com.
Evergreen tree belonging to the genus Picea of the pine family. The needles are single, usually four-sided, and borne on little peglike projections; the cones are pendulous. Resin ducts in the wood may be seen with a magnifying lens, but they are fewer than in Pinus.
The white spruce (P. glauca), ranging from northern New England to the Lake States and Montana and northward into Alaska, is distinguished by the somewhat bluish cast of its needles, small cylindrical cones, and gray or pale-brown twigs without pubescence (hairs). Red spruce (P. rubens) is a similar tree but with greener foliage; smaller, more oval cones; and more or less pubescent twigs. Occurring naturally with white spruce in the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, red spruce extends southward along the Appalachians into North Carolina. Black spruce (P. mariana) ranges from northern New England and Newfoundland to Alaska. However, it occurs sparingly in the Appalachians to West Virginia. The cones are smaller than in the white and red species and are egg-shaped or nearly spherical and persistent. The twigs are pubescent.
Blue spruce (P. pungens), also known as Colorado blue spruce, is probably the best known of the western species because of its wide use as an ornamental tree. The twigs are glabrous (without pubescence). Engelmann spruce (P. engelmanni) has needles usually of a deep blue-green color, sometimes much like those of the blue spruce but the young twigs are slightly hairy. The cones, although cylindrical, are smaller than in blue spruce. This species is also a Rocky Mountain tree like the blue spruce, but it is more widely distributed from British Columbia to Arizona and also in the mountains of Oregon and Washington. Sitka spruce (P. sitchensis) is the largest spruce in the Northern Hemisphere. The leaves have a pungent odor, are considerably flattened, and stand out from the twig in all directions. It ranges from Alaska to northern California. The Norway spruce (P. abies), the common spruce of Europe, is much planted in the United States for timber, as well as for ornamental purposes. It can be recognized by the dark-green color of the leaves; glabrous, pendent, short branchlets; and large cones, usually near the top of the tree. See also Pinales.
Roget's Thesaurus:
Top
spruce
adjective
- In good order or clean condition: neat, orderly, shipshape, snug, spick-and-span, taut, tidy, trig, trim, well-groomed. Chiefly British tight. Idioms: neat as a pin. See clean/dirty, order/disorder.
verb
- To improve in appearance, especially by refurbishing. fix up, smarten (up). See better/worse.
- To make or keep (an area) clean and orderly. clean (up), clear (up), neaten (up), police, straighten (up), tidy (up). See order/disorder.
- To make neat and trim; make presentable. clean (up), freshen (up), groom, neaten (up), slick up, tidy (up), trig (out), trim. See order/disorder.
Antonyms by Answers.com:
Top
spruce
adj
Definition: stylish, neat
Antonyms: scruffy, unkempt, unstylish, untidy
Columbia Encyclopedia:
Top
spruce
spruce, any plant of the genus Picea, evergreen trees or shrubs of the family Pinaceae (pine family) widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. The needles are angular in cross section, rather than flattened as in the related hemlocks and firs. The Norway spruce (P. abies), an important timber tree of Europe, is one of the most commonly cultivated evergreens. The Siberian spruce (P. obovata) grows in coniferous forests (taiga) of Russia and Siberia, the Oriental spruce (P. orientalis) is a major species of S Europe, and the yeddo spruce (P. jezoensis) of Manchuria and Japan is sometimes dwarfed and potted (see dwarf tree). North American spruces used for timber are the red spruce (P. rubens), white spruce (P. glauca), and black spruce (P. mariana) of the East; the Engelmann spruce (P. engelmanii) of the Rocky Mountain forests; and the Sitka spruce (P. sitchensis) of the Pacific forest belt. Numerous spruces are cultivated as ornamentals; the most popular North American garden spruce is the frosty- or silvery-blue-needled Colorado blue spruce (P. pungens). Commercially, spruces are of particular value as a major source of pulpwood for the manufacture of paper. Wood of the various species is usually light, soft, and straight-grained and has been used for interior and exterior construction work, boats, airplanes, and woodenware. The bark is sometimes used for tanning, and some species yield a gum resin. Spruce beer has been made from the young shoots of the red spruce and the black spruce. Native Americans in the West have used spruce gum for caulking, the inner bark for food, and strips of spruce for weaving watertight mats and baskets. Spruce is classified in the division Pinophyta, class Pinopsida, order Coniferales, family Pinaceae.
Aromatherapy by Answers.com:
Top
spruce
picea mariana
Spruce oil has a fresh, woody, earthy, sweet scent, with a hint of fruit. It may be used in the aromatherapy treatment of coughing and depression.
Word Tutor:
Top
spruce
IN BRIEF: A kind of evergreen tree. Also: To make something neat or stylish.
We wanted to spruce up the room by replacing the old couch with a new leather one.
LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!
Top
verb
verb
1:intr. To lie; to evade a duty, malinger. (1917 —) .
G. M. Wilson Dr. Meunier's no fool, he'd have known if she was sprucing....Malingering. Faking tummy trouble (1967).
2:trans. To deceive. (1919 —) .
Daily Telegraph A kipper...should cost more than the untreated fish. Who is sprucing whom? (1978). Hence sprucer,noun (1917 —) .
[Origin unknown.]
verb
1:
G. M. Wilson Dr. Meunier's no fool, he'd have known if she was sprucing....Malingering. Faking tummy trouble (1967).
2:
Daily Telegraph A kipper...should cost more than the untreated fish. Who is sprucing whom? (1978). Hence sprucer,
[Origin unknown.]
| sprowsie, sprout, sprog | |
| spruik, spud, spud barber |
Wiley Dictionary of Flavors:
Top
Hemlock (Spruce)
Random House Word Menu:
Top
categories related to 'spruce'
See crossword solutions for the clue Wikipedia on Answers.com:
Top
Spruce
This article is about the tree. For other uses, see Spruce (disambiguation).
| Spruce | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Norway Spruce (Picea abies) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Pinales |
| Family: | Pinaceae |
| Subfamily: | Piceoideae Frankis |
| Genus: | Picea Mill. |
| Species | |
|
About 35; see text. |
|
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea (
/paɪˈsiːə/),[1] a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from 20–60 metres (66–200 ft) tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical form. The needles, or leaves, of spruce trees are attached singly to the branches in a spiral fashion, each needle on a small peg-like structure called a pulvinus. The needles are shed when 4–10 years old, leaving the branches rough with the retained pulvinus (an easy means of distinguishing them from other similar genera, where the branches are fairly smooth).
Spruces are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species; see list of Lepidoptera that feed on spruces. They are also used by the larvae of gall adelgids (Adelges species).
In the mountains of western Sweden scientists have found a Norway Spruce tree, nicknamed Old Tjikko, which by reproducing through layering has reached an age of 9,550 years and is claimed to be the world's oldest known living tree.[2]
|
Contents
|
Classification
DNA analyses[3][4] have shown that traditional classifications based on the morphology of needle and cone are artificial. A recent study[3] found that P. breweriana had a basal position, followed by P. sitchensis, and the other species were further divided into three clades, suggesting that Picea originated in North America.
Species
There are thirty-five named species of spruce in the world.
- Clade I
-
- Picea breweriana Brewer's Spruce. Klamath Mountains, North America; local endemic.
- Clade II
-
- Picea sitchensis Sitka Spruce. Pacific Coast of North America; the largest species, to 95m tall; important in forestry.
- Clade III
-
- Picea engelmannii Engelmann Spruce. Western North American mountains; important in forestry.
- Picea glauca White Spruce. Northern North America; important in forestry.
- Clade IV
-
- Picea brachytyla Sargent's Spruce. Southwest China.
- Picea chihuahuana Chihuahua Spruce. Northwest Mexico (rare).
- Picea farreri Burmese Spruce. Northeast Burma, southwest China (mountains).
- Picea likiangensis Likiang Spruce. Southwest China.
- Picea martinezii Martinez Spruce. Northeast Mexico (very rare, endangered).
- Picea maximowiczii Maximowicz Spruce. Japan (rare, mountains).
- Picea morrisonicola Yushan Spruce . Taiwan (high mountains).
- Picea neoveitchii Veitch's Spruce. Northwest China (rare, endangered).
- Picea orientalis Caucasian Spruce or Oriental Spruce . Caucasus, northeast Turkey.
- Picea purpurea Purple Spruce. Western China.
- Picea schrenkiana Schrenk's Spruce. Mountains of central Asia.
- Picea smithiana Morinda Spruce. Western Himalaya.
- Picea spinulosa Sikkim Spruce. Eastern Himalaya.
- Picea torano Tiger-tail Spruce. Japan.
- Picea wilsonii Wilson's Spruce . Western China.
- Clade V
-
- Picea abies Norway Spruce. Europe; important in forestry. The original Christmas tree.
- Picea alcoquiana ("P. bicolor") Alcock's Spruce. Central Japan (mountains).
- Picea alpestris Norway Spruce, Alpine Spruce. The Alps in Europe; rare, often treated as a variant of P. abies (and hybridises with it) distinct cones.
- Picea asperata Dragon Spruce. Western China; several varieties.
- Picea crassifolia. China.
- Picea glehnii Glehn's Spruce. Northern Japan, Sakhalin.
- Picea jezoensis Jezo Spruce. Northeast Asia, Kamchatka south to Japan.
- Picea koraiensis Korean Spruce. Korea, northeast China.
- Picea koyamae Koyama's Spruce. Japan (mountains).
- Picea mariana Black Spruce. Northern North America.
- Picea meyeri Meyer's Spruce. Northern China (from Inner Mongolia to Gansu).
- Picea obovata Siberian Spruce. North Scandinavia, Siberia. Often treated as a variant of P. abies (and hybridises with it) but distinct cones.
- Picea omorika Serbian Spruce. Serbia and Bosnia; local endemic; important in horticulture.
- Picea pungens Blue Spruce or Colorado Spruce. Rocky Mountains, North America; important in horticulture.
- Picea retroflexa. China.
- Picea rubens Red Spruce. Northeastern North America; important in forestry. Known as Adirondack in musical instrument making.
Uses
 |
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009) |
Timber
Spruce is useful as a building wood, commonly referred to by several different names including North American timber, SPF (spruce, pine, fir) and whitewood. Spruce wood is used for many purposes, ranging from general construction work and crates to highly specialised uses in wooden aircraft, and as a tonewood in many musical instruments, including guitars, mandolins, cellos, violins, and the soundboard at the heart of a piano and the harp. The Wright brothers' first aircraft, the Flyer, was built of spruce.[5]
Because this species has no insect or decay resistance qualities after logging, it is generally recommended for construction purposes as indoor use only (ex. indoor drywall framing). Spruce wood, when left outside can not be expected to last more than 12–18 months depending on the type of climate it is exposed to.
Pulpwood
Spruce is one of the most important woods for paper uses, as it has long wood fibres which bind together to make strong paper. The fibres are thin walled and collapses to thin bands upon drying. Spruces are commonly used in mechanical pulping as they are easily bleached. Together with northern pines northern spruces are commonly used to make NBSK. Spruces are cultivated over vast areas as pulpwood.
Food and medicine
The fresh shoots of many spruces and pines are a natural source of vitamin C.[6] Captain Cook made alcoholic sugar-based spruce beer during his sea voyages in order to prevent scurvy in his crew.[7][8] The leaves and branches, or the essential oils, can be used to brew spruce beer.
The tips from the needles can be used to make spruce tip syrup[clarification needed]. Native Americans in New England also used the sap to make a gum which was used for various reasons, and which was the basis of the first commercial production of chewing gum.[9] In survival situations spruce needles can be directly ingested or boiled into a tea.[10] This replaces large amounts of vitamin C. Also, water is stored in a spruce's needles, providing an alternative means of hydration[clarification needed]. Spruce can be used as a preventive measure for scurvy in an environment where meat is the only prominent food source[clarification needed].
Other uses
The resin was used in the manufacture of pitch in the past (before the use of petrochemicals); the scientific name Picea is generally thought to be derived from Latin pix, pitch (though other etymologies have been suggested).
Native Americans in North America use the thin, pliable roots of some species for weaving baskets and for sewing together pieces of birch bark for canoes. See also Kiidk'yaas for an unusual golden Sitka Spruce sacred to the Haida people.
Spruces are also popular ornamental trees in horticulture, admired for their evergreen, symmetrical narrow-conic growth habit. For the same reason, some (particularly Picea abies and P. omorika) are also extensively used as Christmas trees.
Spruce branches are also used at Aintree racecourse, Liverpool, to build several of the fences on the Grand National course. It is also used to make sculptures and Christmas trees.
Etymology
The word "spruce" entered the English language from Old French Pruce, the name of Prussia. Spruce was a generic term for commodities brought to England by Hanseatic merchants and the tree was believed to have come from Prussia.[11] According to a different theory, some suggest that it may however be a direct loanword from a Polish expression [drzewo / drewno] z Prus which literally means "[tree / timber] from Prussia". That would suggest that the late mediaeval Polish-speaking merchants would import the timber to England and the English would pick up the expression from them.
References
- ^ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
- ^ Swedish Spruce Is World's Oldest Tree: Scientific American Podcast
- ^ a b Jin-Hua Ran, Xiao-Xin Wei, Xiao-Quan Wang (2006). "Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of Picea (Pinaceae): implications for phylogeographical studies using cytoplasmic haplotypes" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 41 (2): 405–419. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.05.039. PMID 16839785. http://lseb.ibcas.ac.cn/oldzjxx/wangxq/pdf/Picea.pdf.
- ^ Aðalsteinn Sigurgeirsson & Alfred E. Szmidt (1993). "Phylogenetic and biogeographic implications of chloroplast DNA variation in Picea". Nordic Journal of Botany 13 (3): 233–246. doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.1993.tb00043.x.
- ^ "Milestones of Flight - 1903 Wright Flyer" - Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
- ^ "Tree Book - Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis)". British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/treebook/sitkaspruce.htm. Retrieved July 29, 2006.
- ^ Crellin, J. K. (2004). A social history of medicines in the twentieth century: to be taken three times a day. New York: Pharmaceutical Products Press. p. 39. ISBN 0789018446. http://books.google.com/books?id=P1Oy7Qz1tewC&pg=PA39&dq=Spruce+beer+Captain+Cook#v=onepage&q=Spruce%20beer%20Captain%20Cook&f=false. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
- ^ Stubbs, Brett J. (June 2003). "Captain Cook's beer: the antiscorbutic use of malt and beer in late 18th century sea voyages". Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition (apjcn.nhri.org.tw) 12 (2): 129–137. http://apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/APJCN/volume12/vol12.2/fullArticles/index.htm#Nicholas. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
- ^ History of Vending Machines and Chewing Gum
- ^ The healing trees / Spruce
- ^ Harper, Douglas. spruce. Online Etymology Dictionary. Accessed 8 May 2010.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Picea |
- Arboretum de Villardebelle: Cones of selected species of Picea: page 1, Arboretum de Villardebelle page 2
- Gymnosperm Database - Picea
|
|
|||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
Top
Spruce
Dansk (Danish)
1.
adj. - pyntelig, net, flot, pyntet
v. tr. - nette sig, pynte
v. intr. - nette sig, pynte sig
idioms:
- spruce oneself up nette sig, pynte sig
2.
n. - gran, rødgran
3.
v. intr. - foregive, bilde ind
v. intr. - bedrage, narre
Nederlands (Dutch)
spar, netjes
Français (French)
1.
adj. - bien soigné, pimpant, impeccable, coquet, bien tenu
v. tr. - faire beau/belle, astiquer, nettoyer
v. intr. - s'arranger
idioms:
- spruce oneself up se mettre sur son trente et un, se faire beau/belle
- spruce up se faire beau/belle, astiquer, nettoyer
2.
n. - épicéa, bois d'épicéa
3.
v. intr. - décevoir, faire semblant
v. tr. - décevoir, tromper
Deutsch (German)
1.
adj. - schmuck
v. - fein machen putzen
idioms:
- spruce oneself up sich herausputzen
- spruce up fein machen, putzen
2.
n. - Fichte
3.
v. - täuschen, lügen
Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - ευπαρουσίαστος, νοικοκυρεμένος, περιποιημένος (κν. σενιαρισμένος, σένιος)
v. - ευπρεπίζω/-ομαι (κν. σενιάρω/-ομαι), λουφάρω, (Βρετ., αργκό) εξαπατώ (κν. ρίχνω)
n. - (φυτολ.) πικέα, ερυθρελάτη
idioms:
- spruce oneself up ευπρεπίζομαι, σενιάρομαι
idioms:
- spruce oneself up farsi bello
Português (Portuguese)
adj. - arrumado
v. - enfeitar-se
n. - abeto (m)
idioms:
- spruce oneself up arrumar-se
Русский (Russian)
ель, хвойное дерево, древесина хвойных деревьев, щеголеватый, чистенький, приводить в порядок, наводить блеск, наряжать, прихорашиваться
idioms:
- spruce oneself up принарядиться
Español (Spanish)
1.
adj. - pulcro, galano, pulido, elegante, peripuesto
v. tr. - asear, componer, vestir con elegancia
v. intr. - asearse
idioms:
- spruce oneself up emperejilarse, acicalarse, emperifollarse
- spruce up asearse, mejorar la apariencia
2.
n. - abeto, picea
3.
v. intr. - aparentar
v. tr. - engañar, defraudar
Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - prydlig, fin, nätt, sprättig
v. - piffa upp sig, snygga till sig
n. - gran
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
1. 云杉, 花旗松, 云杉木
idioms:
- spruce oneself up 把自己打扮得漂亮整洁
2. 整洁漂亮的, 把...打扮得整洁漂亮, 把自己打扮得整洁漂亮
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
1.
adj. - 整潔漂亮的
v. tr. - 把...打扮得整潔漂亮
v. intr. - 把自己打扮得整潔漂亮
2.
n. - 雲杉, 花旗松, 雲杉木
idioms:
- spruce oneself up 把自己打扮得漂亮整潔
한국어 (Korean)
1.
adj. - 말쑥한, 멋진, 맵시 있는
v. tr. - 말쑥하게 하다, 모양 내다
v. intr. - 몸치장하다, 멋을 부리다
idioms:
- spruce oneself up 옷차림을 단정히 하다
2.
n. - 가문비나무속의 식물, 독일 가문비
3.
v. intr. - 사기나 속임수에 가담하다
v. intr. - 속이다
日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - きちんとした, こぎれいな
n. - トウヒ, ドイツトウヒ, トウヒ材
v. - きちんとする
idioms:
- spruce oneself up おめかしする
العربيه (Arabic)
(صفه) أنيق, حسن الهندام (فعل) يتأنق, يرتب (الاسم) نوع شجر
עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - נקי, מסודר, מצוחצח, מטופח
v. tr. - טיפח את עצמו, סידר הופעתו
v. intr. - היה בעל הופעה מסודרת
n. - אשוחית (סוג של עץ-מחט)
v. intr. - רימה, שיקר, השתמט ממילוי חובה, העמיד פנים
v. intr. - רימה
If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
American Heritage 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. © 1994-2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
McGraw-Hill Science & Technology Encyclopedia
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Read more
Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 byHoughton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.
Read more
Word Tutor
Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved.
eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; sign up free. Read more
eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; sign up free. Read more
Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang
Oxford University Press. © 1997, 2008, 2010
All rights reserved.
Read more
Wiley Dictionary of Flavors
Copyright © 2008 by Wiley-Blackwell. Wiley and the Wiley logo are registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. Used here by license. Read more
Random House Word Menu
© 2010 Write Brothers Inc. Word Menu is a registered trademark of the Estate of Stephen Glazier.
Write Brothers Inc.
All rights reserved.
Read more
Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary
Collins Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary © Anne Bradford, 1986, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008
HarperCollins Publishers
All rights reserved.
Read more
Wikipedia on Answers.com
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Spruce.
Read more
