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Webster 1913 Edition

Spruce

Spruce

(sprṳs)
,
Noun.
[OE.
Spruce
or
Pruse
, Prussia, Prussian. So named because it was first known as a native of Prussia, or because its sprouts were used for making,
spruce beer
. Cf.
Spruce beer
, below,
Spruce
,
Adj.
]
1.
(Bot.)
Any coniferous tree of the genus
Picea
, as the Norway spruce (
Picea excelsa
), and the white and black spruces of America (
Picea alba
and
Picea nigra
), besides several others in the far Northwest. See
Picea
.
2.
The wood or timber of the spruce tree.
3.
Prussia leather; pruce.
[Obs.]
Spruce
, a sort of leather corruptly so called for Prussia leather.
E. Phillips.
Douglas spruce
(Bot.)
,
a valuable timber tree (
Pseudotsuga Douglasii
) of Northwestern America.
–
Essence of spruce
,
a thick, dark-colored, bitterish, and acidulous liquid made by evaporating a decoction of the young branches of spruce.
–
Hemlock spruce
(Bot.)
,
a graceful coniferous tree (
Tsuga Canadensis
) of North America. Its timber is valuable, and the bark is largely used in tanning leather.
–
Spruce beer
.
[G.
sprossenbier
;
sprosse
sprout, shoot (akin to E.
sprout
, n.) +
bier
beer. The word was changed into
spruce
beer because the beer came from Prussia (OE.
Spruce
), or because it was made from the sprouts of the spruce. See
Sprout
,
Noun.
,
Beer
, and cf.
Spruce
,
Noun.
]
A kind of beer which is tinctured or flavored with spruce, either by means of the extract or by decoction.
–
Spruce grouse
.
(Zool.)
Same as
Spruce partridge
, below.
–
Spruce leather
.
See
Spruce
,
Noun.
, 3.
–
Spruce partridge
(Zool.)
,
a handsome American grouse (
Dendragapus Canadensis
) found in Canada and the Northern United States; – called also
Canada grouse
.

Spruce

(sprṳs)
,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Sprucer
(sprṳ′sẽr)
;
sup
erl.
Sprucest
(sprṳ′sĕst)
.]
[Perhaps fr.
spruce
a sort of leather from Prussia, which was an article of finery. See
Spruce
,
Noun.
]
1.
Neat, without elegance or dignity; smart; trim; – formerly applied to things with a serious meaning; now chiefly applied to persons.
“Neat and spruce array.”
Remedy of Love.
2.
Sprightly; dashing.
[Obs.]
“Now, my spruce companions.”
Shak.
He is so
spruce
that he can never be genteel.
Tatler.
Syn. – Finical; neat; trim. See
Finical
.
–
Spruce′ly
,
adv.
–
Spruce′ness
,
Noun.

Spruce

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Spruced
(sprṳst)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Sprucing
(sprṳ′sĭng)
.]
To dress with affected neatness; to trim; to make spruce; – often used with
up
;
as, to
spruce
up the house for Company
.

Spruce

,
Verb.
I.
To dress one’s self with affected neatness;
as, to
spruce
up
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Spruce

SPRUCE

,
Adj.
Nice; trim; neat without elegance or dignity; formerly applied to things with a serious meaning; now applied to persons only.
He is so spruce, that he never can be genteel.

SPRUCE

,
Verb.
T.
To trim; to dress with great neatness.

SPRUCE

,
Verb.
I.
To dress ones self with affected neatness.

SPRUCE

,
Noun.
The fir-tree; a name given to a species of evergreen, the Pinus nigra, which is used in families to give flavor to beer. It is used by way of decoction, or in the essence.

Definition 2024

Spruce

Spruce

See also: spruce

English

Noun

Spruce ‎(uncountable)

  1. (obsolete) Prussia.

Anagrams

spruce

spruce

See also: Spruce

English

Picea abies, a species of spruce (tree)

Noun

spruce ‎(usually uncountable, plural spruces)

  1. Any of various large coniferous evergreen trees from the genus Picea, found in northern temperate and boreal regions; originally and more fully spruce fir.
  2. (uncountable) The wood of a spruce.
  3. (used attributively) Made of the wood of the spruce.
    That spruce table is beautiful!
  4. (obsolete) Prussia or Prussian leather; pruce.
    • E. Phillips
      Spruce, a sort of leather corruptly so called for Prussia leather.

Translations

See also

Adjective

spruce ‎(comparative sprucer, superlative sprucest)

  1. (comparable) Smart, trim, and elegant in appearance; fastidious (said of a person).

Translations

Verb

spruce ‎(third-person singular simple present spruces, present participle sprucing, simple past and past participle spruced)

  1. (usually with up) To arrange neatly; tidy up.
  2. (usually with up) To make oneself spruce (neat and elegant in appearance).
  3. To tease.

Derived terms

References

  • “spruce” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).

Anagrams

Etymology

Alteration of Pruce, see that entry and spruce for more.

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