Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

arborvitae

/ˌɑɹbɚˈvaɪti/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.48 in modern English

Syllables: ar-borvi-tae
IPA: /ˌɑɹbɚˈvaɪti/

15

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of several North American or Asian conifers, of the genera Thuja and Thujopsis or the species Platycladus orientalis, grown for timber or ornament.

noun

The white nerve tissue of the cerebellum that has a branching structure.

Example Sentences

"She was at that moment just outside the door, and from the position of the Colonel, framed between the pillars at the other end of the piazza and against the dark green foliage of an arborvitae standing beyond."

Etymology

From Latin arbor (“tree”) + vitae (“of life”), literally “tree of life”, probably referring to the evergreen leaves. The anatomical sense from the branched, tree-like appearance of the tissue.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Inflected Forms

arborvitaes (plural) arbor vitae (alternative) arborvitæ (alternative, obsolete)

Synonyms

tree of life

Questions

How do you pronounce arborvitae?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌɑɹbɚˈvaɪti/.
What does arborvitae mean?: Any of several North American or Asian conifers, of the genera Thuja and Thujopsis or the species Platycladus orientalis, grown for timber or ornament.
Where does arborvitae come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce arborvitae

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