Meaning & use
arborvitae
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Meanings
nouncountable
An evergreen tree or shrub with flat, scaly leaves that is often planted in rows to make a hedge or screen.
Grammar: Countable: an arborvitae, a row of arborvitae or arborvitaes.
Patterns
- a row of arborvitae
- plant arborvitae
They planted a row of arborvitae to hide the fence.
The arborvitae kept its deep green color all winter.
A tall arborvitae stood at each corner of the garden.
nouncountable or uncountablebiology
A North American conifer of the genus Thuja, also called eastern white cedar, with soft wood used for fence posts and shingles.
Grammar: Countable for a tree and uncountable for the wood: arborvitae lumber resists rot.
Patterns
- American arborvitae
The American arborvitae grows naturally along swamps in the northern states.
Posts made of arborvitae last for decades in damp soil.
Word forms
| plural | arborvitaes |
|---|
Common combinations
- American arborvitae
- American arborvitae grows well in cold climates.
- arborvitae hedge
- The arborvitae hedge gives the yard privacy.
- plant arborvitae
- We plan to plant arborvitae along the back line.
- arborvitae screen
- An arborvitae screen blocks the wind from the road.
- prune the arborvitae
- He pruned the arborvitae in early summer.
Synonyms and how they differ
- thuja
- Thuja is the scientific genus name, which sounds more technical than arborvitae in gardening talk.
- white cedar
- White cedar is the common forest name for the same species, but it is not a true cedar.
- cedar
- Cedar is a loose label often given to arborvitae, though true cedars belong to a different group.
- evergreen
- Evergreen is a broad word for any tree that keeps its leaves, so it covers far more than arborvitae.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: arborvitae or cypress? arborvitae or juniper?
arborvitae vs cypress
Cypress is a different conifer, usually taller and with a more pointed shape, though arborvitae is sometimes mistaken for it.
arborvitae vs juniper
Juniper has prickly or scaly leaves and berry-like cones, but arborvitae has flat sprays of soft scales.
Practice
The homeowners planted a dense row of ___ that stays green all winter to block the view of the neighbors.
Choose one answer.
Arborvitae is an evergreen commonly used for year-round hedges and screens. Maples and willows lose their leaves in winter, and tulips are low flowers that cannot block a view.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “arborvitae”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.