cedar

cedar — noun

1. A tall, wide tree with needle-like leaves that stay green all year round, belong

1.nounB1
Definition

A tall, wide tree with needle-like leaves that stay green all year round, belonging to the pine family and producing hard, sweet-smelling wood.

Example

A tall cedar stood at the edge of the garden, casting a wide shadow.

The path through the park was lined with cedar and pine trees.

countable: a cedar / cedar trees

Common collocations
  • ancient cedar
  • cedar forest
  • cedar branch
  • cedar grove
  • Lebanese cedar
Synonyms
  • conifer

    broader category — any cone-bearing evergreen tree, not only cedars

  • evergreen

    broader category — any tree that keeps leaves all year

Antonyms

Usage Note

Some trees called "cedar" in everyday English (such as white cedar or red cedar) belong to related tree families rather than the true Cedrus genus. This sense covers both true cedars and similar-looking evergreens with fragrant wood.

Common Mistakes

I planted a cedar tree near my house.
I planted a cedar near my house.
'cedar' already means a type of tree, so 'cedar tree' is redundant in most contexts.

2. The hard, reddish-brown wood from a cedar tree, valued for its pleasant natural

2.nounB1
Definition

The hard, reddish-brown wood from a cedar tree, valued for its pleasant natural smell and its ability to resist insects and rot.

Example

The closet was lined with cedar to keep moths away from the clothes.

uncountable: lined with cedar

Leila bought a small box made of cedar to store her jewellery.

Common collocations
  • cedar wood
  • cedar chest
  • cedar closet
  • cedar fence
  • smell of cedar
  • scented with cedar
Synonyms
  • timber

    general term for wood used in building; less specific than cedar

  • lumber

    American English term for processed wood; broader category

Usage Note

In woodworking and home contexts, 'cedar' is used informally for red cedar or white cedar wood, even when the tree is not a true cedar (Cedrus). The word is uncountable when referring to the material.

Common Mistakes

The fence is made of cedars.' (meaning the wood)
The fence is made of cedar.
use the uncountable form for the material, not the plural of the tree.

Word family

  • cedarwood
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Cedar, pine, fir, and spruce are all types of evergreen conifers with needle-like leaves, but they differ in wood qualities and appearance. Cedar wood is naturally fragrant and resists insects, making it a popular choice for closets and outdoor furniture. Pine is softer and lighter in colour, commonly used in inexpensive furniture and construction. Fir (especially Douglas fir) is strong and often used for framing houses. Spruce has a straight grain and is valued for musical instruments and paper production. For example, you might build a garden bench from cedar to withstand the weather, while a bookshelf might be made from pine for a lighter, affordable look.

cedar ↗pine ↗firspruce

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • made of cedar
  • made from cedar
  • scented with cedar
  • lined with cedar

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'cedar' comes from the Latin 'cedrus', which was borrowed from the Greek 'kedros'. The ancient Greeks used the word for both true cedars and juniper trees that produced similar fragrant wood. Via French influence, the word entered English around the 13th century and became the common name for several types of aromatic evergreen trees.