conifer

[ koh-nuh-fer, kon-uh- ]
See synonyms for conifer on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of numerous, chiefly evergreen trees or shrubs of the class Coniferinae (or group Coniferales), including the pine, fir, spruce, and other cone-bearing trees and shrubs, and also the yews and their allies that bear drupelike seeds.

  2. a plant producing naked seeds in cones, or single naked seeds as in yews, but with pollen always borne in cones.

Origin of conifer

1
1350–1400; Middle English conefere<Latin cōnifer coniferous, equivalent to cōn(us) cone + -i- + -fer-fer

Words Nearby conifer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use conifer in a sentence

  • Cheryl Brown, former CEO of the conifer Council in Texas/Arkansas also saw the storm coming.

    Why Are Girl Scout Camps Being Closed? | Alessandra Rafferty | January 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Thus they encamped near the conifer, and called the place Toha-a-muk-is after the spruce they were afraid to touch.

  • It suffices to name the families of the conifer and the Amentace, which compose the greater portion of the Flora of our forests.

    The Desert World | Arthur Mangin
  • The family of conifer exhibit themselves in Australia, like every other group of plants, under strange and novel forms.

    The Desert World | Arthur Mangin
  • The Australian species are comprised in a small number of families, notably in those of the conifer and Myrtace.

    The Desert World | Arthur Mangin
  • Its cones are the largest produced by any conifer, occasionally reaching the length of nearly two feet.

    Your National Parks | Enos A. Mills

British Dictionary definitions for conifer

conifer

/ (ˈkəʊnɪfə, ˈkɒn-) /


noun
  1. any gymnosperm tree or shrub of the phylum Coniferophyta, typically bearing cones and evergreen leaves. The group includes the pines, spruces, firs, larches, yews, junipers, cedars, cypresses, and sequoias

Origin of conifer

1
C19: from Latin, from cōnus cone + ferre to bear

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for conifer

conifer

[ kŏnə-fər ]


  1. Any of various gymnosperms that bear their reproductive structures in cones and belong to the phylum Coniferophyta. Conifers evolved around 300 million years ago and, as a group, show many adaptations to drier and cooler environments. They are usually evergreen and often have drought-resistant leaves that are needle-shaped or scalelike. They depend on the wind to blow pollen produced by male cones to female cones, where fertilization takes place and seeds develop. Conifers are widely distributed, but conifer species dominate the northern forest biome known as the taiga. There are some 550 species of conifers, including the pines, firs, spruces, hemlocks, cypresses, junipers, yews, and redwoods. See more at pollination seed-bearing plant.

Other words from conifer

  • coniferous adjective

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