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Glite Dictionary
Douglas spruce

Douglas spruce

7.1
A tall evergreen tree from northwestern North America with short needles and egg-shaped cones
  • noun
  • /ˈdʌɡləs spruːs/
  • US
translation icon : picea de Douglas
  • The forest was filled with towering Douglas spruce that seemed to touch the sky.

Examples

  • They collected cones from a Douglas spruce for a science project about native trees.

  • A mature Douglas spruce can provide habitat for many species of birds and mammals.

  • The Douglas spruce grows tall in the Pacific Northwest.

  • I saw a beautiful Douglas spruce at the park.

  • The forest was filled with towering Douglas spruce that seemed to touch the sky.

  • A mature Douglas spruce can provide habitat for many species of birds and mammals.

  • They collected cones from a Douglas spruce for a science project about native trees.

Synonyms

Douglas fir
vsDouglas spruce
  • US
1 4.0

A tall evergreen tree from western North America with short needles and strong wood

is the alternate common name without the timber emphasis
Doug fir
vsDouglas spruce
  • US
1 4.4

A large evergreen tree with strong wood often used as a Christmas tree

is the neutral botanical or standard name without informal tone
Pseudotsuga menziesii
vsDouglas spruce
  • Specialized
9.9

A tall evergreen tree native to northwestern North America with short needles and egg-shaped cones

is the common everyday name rather than the formal botanical term
Oregon fir
vsDouglas spruce
  • US
6.1

A tall evergreen tree native to northwest North America with short needles and egg-shaped cones, also called Douglas fir

is the standard or different common name used elsewhere
Oregon pine
vsDouglas spruce
  • US
6.3

A large evergreen tree from northwestern North America also called Douglas fir with short needles and egg-shaped cones

is the more common broad name rather than that regional label
green douglas fir
vsDouglas spruce
  • US
7.7

A tall evergreen tree from northwestern North America with short needles and egg-shaped cones

is the general common name for the whole species group rather than a subtype
Douglas pine
vsDouglas spruce
  • US
3.9

A tall evergreen tree from northwest North America with short needles and egg-shaped cones

is the usual common tree name and not the regional tree label
Douglas hemlock
vsDouglas spruce
  • US
9.9

A tall evergreen tree from northwestern North America with short needles and egg-shaped cones

is the common alternate name rather than a different species label

Surface Forms

Douglas spruce singular
Douglas spruces plural

Morphology

Douglas + spruce

The phrase is a straightforward name-type compound where 'spruce' identifies the tree and 'Douglas' is a modifying proper name, so a learner who knows 'spruce' can infer this refers to a specific kind of spruce. Proper names do not carry lexical meaning, but the common 'Name + species' compositional pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically familiar, making the overall meaning predictable.

Etymology

Douglas spruce is named after the Scottish plant collector Douglas, who brought the tree's seeds to Europe in the 1800s. People added the common tree name spruce, so Douglas spruce now means 'a tall evergreen tree with short needles and egg-shaped cones'.