southern red cedar

7.4

An evergreen tree with fragrant wood that grows in wet coastal areas of the southeastern United States

noun
/ˈsʌðərn rɛd ˈsiːdər/

: cedro rojo del sur

The southern red cedar thrives in wet, coastal environments.

Examples

Carpenters sometimes use the fragrant wood of the southern red cedar for making furniture.
Many birds nest in the dense branches of the southern red cedar.
The southern red cedar thrives in the humid conditions along the Gulf Coast.
Look at that beautiful southern red cedar over there!
Carpenters sometimes use the fragrant wood of the southern red cedar for making furniture.
Many birds nest in the dense branches of the southern red cedar.
The southern red cedar thrives in the humid conditions along the Gulf Coast.

Synonyms

Juniperus silicicola

vssouthern red cedar

Specialized

9.9

A small evergreen tree like a red cedar that grows in coastal swamps of the southeastern United States

is the common name for that same tree in coastal swamps

Surface Forms

southern red cedar singular

southern red cedars plural

Morphology

southern + red + cedar

The phrase is compositional: 'southern' locates it geographically, 'red' describes a color/quality, and 'cedar' names the tree, so the overall meaning (a cedar from the south with a red-related descriptor) is directly derivable from the parts. This adjective+noun naming pattern is cross-linguistically common and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Southern red cedar is a name people gave to a tree that grows in southern areas, has warm red wood, and smells like cedar. So the name helps you remember it is a southern, cedar-like tree with red wood.