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Glite Dictionary
🌲 A juniper tree 🪵 Wood for pencils
pencil cedar

pencil cedar

6.8
An evergreen tree, like the eastern red cedar, whose wood is used to make pencils
  • noun
  • /ˈpɛnsl ˈsidər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : cedro para lápices
  • Many pencils were once made from the wood of the pencil cedar.

Examples

  • The pencil cedar is prized for its straight grain and pleasant aroma.

  • Some species of pencil cedar are native to North America.

  • My favorite pencils are made from pencil cedar.

  • Why do so many people choose pencil cedars for their pencils?

  • Pencil cedar wood is often used to create durable and high-quality pencil cedar products.

  • The scent of freshly cut pencil cedar is delightful and commonly enjoyed by woodworkers.

  • Because of its fine texture, the pencil cedar is ideal for crafting writing instruments.

Synonyms

pencil cedar tree
vspencil cedar
  • US
6.5

A small evergreen tree that provides wood for making pencils

is broader, covering several junipers used for pencils including a common species
Juniperus virginiana
vspencil cedar
  • Specialized
9.9

A small evergreen tree with reddish-brown peeling bark and small sharp leaves

is broader, referring to several useful species rather than that single species

Surface Forms

pencil cedar singular
pencil cedars plural

Morphology

pencil + cedar

This is a straightforward noun–noun compound where 'pencil' modifies 'cedar', indicating a type of cedar (or cedar wood) associated with pencils. A B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer it means the cedar wood used for pencils; the compositional attributive pattern is common and predictable.

Etymology

Pencil cedar names a kind of cedar tree whose wood was often used to make pencils. Because the wood was straight, easy to cut and had a pleasant smell, people began to call the tree pencil cedar, meaning a cedar used 'to make pencils'.