˜yÐÄvlog

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spruce

1

[ sproos ]

noun

  1. any evergreen, coniferous tree of the genus Picea, of the pine family, having short, angular, needle-shaped leaves attached singly around twigs and bearing hanging cones with persistent scales.
  2. any of various allied trees, as the Douglas fir and the hemlock spruce.
  3. the wood of any such tree.


adjective

  1. made from the wood of a spruce tree or trees.
  2. containing or abounding in spruce trees.

spruce

2

[ sproos ]

adjective

sprucer, sprucest.
  1. trim in dress or appearance; neat; smart; dapper.

verb (used with object)

spruced, sprucing.
  1. to make spruce or smart (often followed by up ):

    Spruce up the children before the company comes.

verb (used without object)

spruced, sprucing.
  1. to make oneself spruce (usually followed by up ).

spruce

1

/ ²õ±è°ù³Üː²õ /

noun

  1. any coniferous tree of the N temperate genus Picea, cultivated for timber and for ornament: family Pinaceae. They grow in a pyramidal shape and have needle-like leaves and light-coloured wood See also Norway spruce blue spruce white spruce black spruce
  2. the wood of any of these trees
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

spruce

2

/ ²õ±è°ù³Üː²õ /

adjective

  1. neat, smart, and trim
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈ²õ±è°ù³Ü³Š±ð²Ô±ð²õ²õ, noun
  • ˈ²õ±è°ù³Ü³Š±ð±ô²â, adverb
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Other ˜yÐÄvlog Forms

  • ²õ±è°ù³Ü³Š±ð·±ô²â adverb
  • ²õ±è°ù³Ü³Š±ð·²Ô±ð²õ²õ noun
  • ³Ü²Ô·²õ±è°ù³Ü³Š±ð»å adjective
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of spruce1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, special use of Spruce, Sprus(e), variant of Pruce, Prus(se), from Old French Prusse, Pruisse, from Medieval Latin Prussia Prussia, source of the timber

Origin of spruce2

First recorded in 1580–90; obsolete spruce jerkin originally, jerkin made of spruce leather, i.e., leather imported from Prussia ( spruce 1 ), hence fine, smart, etc.
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of spruce1

C17: short for Spruce fir, from C14 Spruce Prussia, changed from Pruce, via Old French from Latin Prussia

Origin of spruce2

C16: perhaps from Spruce leather a fashionable leather imported from Prussia; see spruce 1
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Many diversified — adding restaurants and other activities — as well as sprucing up their theaters to attract new patrons.

From

Add your sauce, let warm through, then spruce up with some of your favorite chopped fresh herbs.

From

The revenue boost comes after a sluggish period for the furniture industry, which experienced a boom during the pandemic as people quarantined and spent heavily on sprucing up their homes.

From

By that point, gay marriage had become the law of the land and a new bar using the Stonewall name, now spruced up for tourists, had taken over the space, with a museum next door.

From

One of the most crucial sequences involves the makeover that Glinda tries to give Elphaba as she sings “Popular” in their Shiz University dorm room, which she has spruced up with pink accouterments.

From

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