white cedar

noun

1. any of several chiefly coniferous trees valued for their wood, especially Chamaecyparis thyoides, of the eastern U.S., or Thuja occidentalis northern white cedar, of northeastern North America.
2. the wood of any of these trees.

white cedar

noun

1. a coniferous tree, Chamaecyparis thyoides, of swampy regions in North America, having scalelike leaves and boxlike cones: family Cupressaceae See also cypress 1
2. the wood of this tree, which is used for building boats, etc
3. a coniferous tree, Thuja occidentalis, of NE North America, having scalelike leaves: family Cupressaceae See also arbor vitae
4. the wood of this tree, much used for telegraph poles

Word History and Origins

Origin of white cedar¹

An Americanism dating back to 1665–75

Example Sentences

The notes range from ginger to orris root, white cedar and vetiver.

From Los Angeles Times

Kimberly Richards, who lives in Friendship, Maine, is married to a third-generation lobsterman and paints white cedar buoys in custom color combinations.

From New York Times

“The Atlantic white cedar trees have great resiliency,” she said.

From New York Times

An estimated 500,000 acres of Atlantic white cedar forests once stretched from Maine to northern Florida and along parts of the Gulf of Mexico coast, with 115,000 acres in New Jersey alone.

From Seattle Times

“Ghost Forest” uses towering dead Atlantic white cedars to create a temporary copse of arboreal skeletons.

From Washington Post