fir

¹ American  

[fur] / fɜr /

noun

1. any coniferous tree belonging to the genus Abies, of the pine family, characterized by its pyramidal style of growth, flat needles, and erect cones.

2. the wood of such a tree.

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FIR ² American  

abbreviation

1. far-infrared radiation.

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fir British  

/ fɜː /

noun

1. any pyramidal coniferous tree of the N temperate genus Abies , having single needle-like leaves and erect cones: family Pinaceae See also red fir silver fir balsam fir

2. any of various other trees of the family Pinaceae , such as the Douglas fir

3. the wood of any of these trees

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Etymology

Origin of fir

1250–1300; Middle English firre, Old English fyrh; cognate with Old Saxon furie; akin to Old English furh- (in fuhrwudu pine), Old Norse fura fir, Latin quercus oak (< *perkwu- )

Example Sentences

At the elevation where the oak and scrub give way to cedar, fir and pine, I had a horrific shock rounding a familiar bend anticipating a thrill I had felt so many times before.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 28, 2025

A $5 permit, a hike through the snow, and a glorious Douglas fir we covered in lights.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025

The company’s forests in Oregon and Washington state are particularly valuable because they produce desirable wood from Douglas fir trees.

From Barron's • Dec. 5, 2025

The gentle slopes of Ukraine's Carpathian mountains, smothered in brilliant green spruce and fir trees, stretch into the distance.

From BBC • Aug. 11, 2025

It was a lush and mysterious landscape, a dense wood of dizzyingly tall fir trees that covered the rolling mountains like a living blanket of green.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• cedar
• pine