fir tree

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A tall evergreen tree with needle-like leaves and upright cones, often grown for timber or as a Christmas tree.

   Grammar: Countable: one fir tree, several fir trees; the shorter form 'fir' is also common.

   Patterns

   • a fir tree
   • plant a fir tree
   • a fir tree grows

   We planted a fir tree at the edge of the garden.

   The fir trees on the hillside stay green all winter.

   They chose a small fir tree for the front room at Christmas.

2. 2noununcountable

   The wood of this tree, used for building and for making paper.

   Grammar: Uncountable when it means the material: made of fir, not 'a fir'.

   Patterns

   • made of fir
   • fir flooring

   The cabin walls are made of fir.

   This table is solid fir, so it is fairly light.

Word forms

Common combinations

a tall fir tree

A tall fir tree shades the whole yard.

plant a fir tree

They planted a fir tree near the driveway.

fir tree plantation

The fir tree plantation supplies timber for local mills.

a Christmas fir tree

We decorated a Christmas fir tree with small lights.

fir tree needles

Dry fir tree needles covered the path.

Synonyms and how they differ

pine

Use 'pine' for a similar evergreen, but pine needles grow in bundles and its cones hang down, while fir cones stand upright.

spruce

'Spruce' is another evergreen; it often has shorter, sharper needles and is the usual choice for many Christmas trees.

conifer

'Conifer' is the broad scientific term for any cone-bearing tree, so it includes firs, pines and spruces.

Word family

fir noun

The shorter, more common name for the same tree or its wood.

firry adjective

Rare; describes something covered with or resembling fir.

Commonly confused: fir tree or fur tree? fir tree or pine tree?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “fir tree”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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