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Glite Dictionary
🌲 A large evergreen 🪵 Aromatic wood 🌳 A small evergreen
red cedar

red cedar

4.9
Reddish fragrant wood that people use to make furniture and keep moths away
  • noun
  • /rɛd ˈsiːdər/
  • US
translation icon : madera de cedro rojo
  • The artisan created a stunning outdoor table using red cedar, which is prized for its lovely aroma and resilience.
  • western red cedar
  • red cedar wood
  • built from red cedar

Examples

  • I love the smell of red cedar in my closet.

  • The table is made of red cedar.

  • A faint aroma of red cedar still lingered in the old cabin.

  • Furniture makers often choose red cedar for its pleasant scent and resistance to decay.

  • The closet was lined with red cedar to keep moths away from the clothes.

  • I crafted my new garden bench from beautiful red cedar because it's durable and resistant to insects.

  • She chose to build her birdhouse from red cedar since the wood withstands harsh weather conditions well.

Synonyms

cedar
vsred cedar
12 3.1

Long-lasting, pleasant-smelling wood used for furniture and lining closets to keep moths away

is the same fragrant durable wood but used for certain specific tree sources
western red cedar
vsred cedar
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A large evergreen tree with reddish durable wood used for building and furniture

refers to similar durable fragrant wood but from various species rather than one
cedarwood
vsred cedar
1 3.5

Wood from cedar trees that smells pleasant, resists rot, and is used for chests and furniture

is the fragrant durable timber too but emphasises particular tree sources rather than general use
Port Orford cedar
vsred cedar
  • US
7.7

Wood from the Port Orford cedar tree that is light, strong, and has a nice smell

is the general fragrant durable timber category rather than a single specialty source
cigar-box cedar
vsred cedar
6.9

A light fragrant wood that people use to make cigar boxes and protect cigars

is a broader fragrant durable wood category, not limited to box making

Surface Forms

red cedar singular
red cedars plural

Morphology

red + cedar

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'red' (a color) + 'cedar' (an aromatic conifer): a cedar that is red or has reddish wood. Color + noun combinations to name a variety or type are cross-linguistically common and follow a transparent, predictable pattern that a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer.

Etymology

Red cedar as a name for the 'wood' comes from the trees' reddish colour and pleasant scent, so the phrase red cedar now refers to the fragrant reddish 'timber' used for chests and closets.