giant fir
- noun
- /ˈdʒaɪənt fɪr/
- US
:
abeto gigante
- The giant fir in our backyard grows taller every year, providing a home for birds.
Examples
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The forest was filled with giant firs that towered high above the ground.
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We camped under the shade of a giant fir, admiring its majestic branches.
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Everyone made poles from the giant fir trees to use in pushing against the sky.
Fiction book (2000)
Synonyms
A tall fir tree from the Pacific Northwest with long curved branches and deep green leaves
A tall fir tree that grows on the Pacific coast with long curved branches and dark green needles
A tall tree with long curved branches and dark green leaves that grows by the Pacific coast
A tall tree with long curved branches and dark green needles that grows on the Pacific coast
How Big
- US
22
1.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a very tall fir tree' follows directly from combining 'giant' (very large) with 'fir' (a type of tree); the adjective straightforwardly modifies the noun. This compositional adjectival pattern is common across languages and standard in English, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.
Etymology
Giant fir comes from the simple image of a very large fir tree: giant means huge and fir is the evergreen tree. People used the phrase for the very tall trees on the Pacific coast, so today giant fir means 'a very tall fir tree'.