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Glite Dictionary
incense cedar

incense cedar

7.5
A tall evergreen tree with a pleasant smell and strong reddish wood
  • noun
  • /ˈɪnˌsɛns ˈsiːdər/
  • US
translation icon : cedro incienso
  • incense cedar and fir
  • incense cedar and pines

I'm going to put our incense cedar behind this time.

Examples

  • I'm going to put our incense cedar behind this time.

    Garden Answer

  • So that's a noble fir, incense cedar, and Princess pine.

  • An incense cedar grows tall and straight, providing a beautiful backdrop for any garden.

  • The smell of incense cedar filled the air as we walked through the forest, reminding us of its aromatic wood.

  • Carpenters often prefer incense cedar for furniture making due to its durability and pleasant scent.

Synonyms

Calocedrus decurrens
vsincense cedar
  • Specialized
9.9

A tall evergreen tree with red-brown bark, called incense cedar

is found across North America and also in other regions beyond the coast
Libocedrus decurrens
vsincense cedar
  • Specialized
9.9

A tall tree like a cedar from the west coast of North America with red-brown bark and aromatic wood

emphasizes aromatic wood and wider geographical distribution beyond the Pacific coast

Surface Forms

incense cedar singular
incense cedars plural

Morphology

incense + cedar

The compound 'incense cedar' is compositionally transparent: 'incense' (a fragrant material) modifies 'cedar' (an aromatic evergreen), so the phrase denotes a cedar known for its incense-like fragrance or used for incense. This noun–noun compounding follows normal English patterns and is cross-linguistically predictable, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would understand the meaning.

Etymology

Incense cedar gets its name from the strong, pleasant smell of its wood. People burned the wood like incense and the tree looks like other cedars, so the phrase now names the evergreen tree known for its scented wood.