thuja

[ thoo-juh ]

noun

1. any tree of the genus Thuja, comprising the arborvitaes.
2. the wood of the sandarac tree.

thuja

/ ˈθuːjə /

noun

1. any of various coniferous trees of the genus Thuja, of North America and East Asia, having scalelike leaves, small cones, and an aromatic wood: family Cupressaceae See also arbor vitae

Word History and Origins

Origin of thuja¹

1750–60; < New Latin, Medieval Latin thuia, < Medieval Greek thuía, for Greek thýa kind of African tree

Word History and Origins

Origin of thuja¹

C18: from New Latin, from Medieval Latin thuia, ultimately from Greek thua name of an African tree

Example Sentences

Look for the dwarfest ones you can find, like the yellow Thuja orientalis ‘Aurea Nana’ and the silver-blue Juniperus horizontalis ‘Blue Pygmy’.

From Seattle Times

Researchers said on Wednesday fragments of DNA were detected for a panoply of animals including mastodons, reindeer, hares, lemmings and geese as well as plants including poplar, birch and thuja trees and microorganisms including bacteria and fungi.

From Reuters

The Western red cedar, or Thuja plicata, is the largest tree in the Pacific Northwest and one of the oldest in Western Washington.

From Seattle Times

Walls built of copper sheen are covered with a façade of camellia black tie, acer globosum, and thuja pyramidalis.

From Architectural Digest

Senior editor for life science Joan Narmontas came across arborvitae, thought it needed work, and wound up tinkering with 81 additional trees and shrubs, from bog pine to cryptomeria to thuja.

From Slate