I. ˈtrē noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English tre, tree, from Old English trēow; akin to Old Frisian & Old Norse trē tree, Old Saxon trio, treo tree, Old High German aphol tra apple tree, Gothic triu tree, wood, Greek drys tree, dory spear, Sanskrit dāru wood, dru tree, branch wood
1.
a. : a woody perennial plant having a single main stem that may be short but is usually considerably elongated, has generally few or no branches on its lower part, and is crowned with a head of branches and foliage or (as in palms) of foliage only — compare herb , shrub
b. : a shrub or herb that grows naturally in or is trained into an arborescent form
old rose trees
a sturdy banana tree
some plants that are tall trees under favorable conditions are mere shrubs at the extremes of their range
2.
a. archaic : the substance of trees especially as a source of structural material
b. : a piece of wood (as a stick, stave, post, or pole) either dressed or undressed and usually adapted to a particular use: as
(1) : a piece (as a bar, lever, brace, or support) forming a part of a structure or implement — usually used in combination; see axletree , chesstree , crosstree , doubletree , singletree , whiffletree
(2) obsolete : the shaft of a spear or lance
(3) chiefly Scotland : staff , cudgel
(4) dialect : a wooden handle (as of a spade)
c. : a structure or fabrication of or typically or originally of wood: as
(1) obsolete : ship
(2) archaic : gallows
(3) chiefly Scotland : a wooden container (as a cask for ale)
(4) : saddletree
(5) : shoe tree
d. sometimes capitalized : christmas tree
gifts clustered under the tree
3. : something having the typical form of or felt to resemble a tree: as
a. : a design, diagram, or diagrammatic representation that depicts a branching from an original stem
a genealogical tree
b. : an arborescent aggregation of crystals — see lead tree
c. : a much-branched system of channels especially in an animal body
the vascular tree
also : a cast of such a tree
a bronchial tree prepared by corrosion techniques
•
- as trees walking
- up a tree
II. verb
( treed ; treed ; treeing ; trees )
transitive verb
1.
a. : to drive to or up a tree : cause to take refuge in a tree
treed by a bull
dogs treeing small game
b. : to put into a position of extreme disadvantage : corner ; especially : to bring (an evasive individual) to bay
2.
a. : to furnish or construct with a tree
tree an axle
b. : to plant or cover with trees
c.
(1) : to fit (as a shoe) with a tree
(2) : to shape and stretch (as a saddle) over a tree
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to take refuge in a tree
the coon soon treed
b. : to cause an animal to take refuge especially in a tree
the dogs treed early that night
2. : to take the form of a tree
crystals treeing in a saturated solution