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Glite Dictionary
Sequoia gigantea

Sequoia gigantea

7.5
An extremely tall evergreen tree from California's Sierra Nevada that is the largest living thing by volume
  • noun
  • /sɪˈkwɔɪə dʒɪˈɡæntiə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : secuoya gigantea
  • The Sequoia gigantea can live for over three thousand years, making it one of the oldest living trees.

Examples

  • We visited a grove of Sequoia gigantea in California, dwarfed by their massive trunks.

  • The Sequoia gigantea is the largest tree species in the world.

  • Scientists study the Sequoia gigantea to understand how these trees survive for millennia.

  • Many tourists visit California to see the Sequoia gigantea in person.

  • The Sequoia gigantea is renowned for its towering height and thick trunk, attracting nature lovers from around the world.

  • When we stood next to a Sequoia gigantea, we marveled at its immense size compared to the surrounding trees.

  • In the southern Sierra Nevada, the Sequoia gigantea grows, some reaching heights of over 300 feet.

Synonyms

big tree
vsSequoia gigantea
  • Specialized
3 3.5

A very tall evergreen tree from California, for example a giant sequoia

is the formal species name rather than an informal nickname
sequoia
vsSequoia gigantea
  • US
2 7.8

A very large evergreen tree from California that grows to great heights

is one specific species within that broader group rather than the whole group
giant sequoia
vsSequoia gigantea
  • Specialized
1 5.3

A very large evergreen tree with a very thick trunk that grows on the Sierra Nevada in California

is native in the southern Sierra Nevada rather than broadly on western slopes
Sequoiadendron giganteum
vsSequoia gigantea
  • Specialized
9.9

A very large evergreen tree in California that is the largest living plant by size

is native specifically to the southern Sierra Nevada rather than western slopes
Sierra redwood
vsSequoia gigantea
  • Specialized
7.6

A very tall evergreen tree that grows in the Sierra Nevada in California and can live for thousands of years

is defined as native to the southern Sierra Nevada without the extra locational phrase
Sequoia Wellingtonia
vsSequoia gigantea
  • Specialized
8.9

A very tall tree that stays green and can live for thousands of years

is native to the southern Sierra Nevada generally rather than specifically foothills

Surface Forms

Sequoia gigantea singular
Sequoia giganteas plural

Morphology

sequoia + gigantea

This is a scientific binomial where the epithet 'gigantea' functions as an adjectival modifier meaning 'giant' (from Latin, cognate with English 'giant/gigantic' and similar forms in many languages), so knowing 'sequoia' (a tree) plus 'gigantea' yields the compositional meaning 'giant sequoia'. Botanical Latin follows predictable adjective + noun patterns, so a learner who knows both constituents can derive the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Sequoia gigantea may be named to honor Sequoyah, the Cherokee man who created a written alphabet, so the genus Sequoia recalls his name. The second word gigantea is Latin for 'giant', so the full name literally paints a picture of a very large, very old tree, which fits these huge sequoias.