fir

views updated Jun 11 2018

fir / fər/ • n. (also fir tree) an evergreen coniferous tree (genus Abies, family Pinaceae) with upright cones and flat needle-shaped leaves, an important source of timber and resins.DERIVATIVES: fir·ry adj.

fir

views updated Jun 11 2018

fir Any of a number of evergreen trees of the pine family, native to alpine regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The pyramid-shaped trees are prized for their beauty and fragrance. They have flat needles and cylindrical cones that shed their scales when mature. The North American balsam fir is the source of Canadian balsam. Height: 15–90m (50–300ft). Family Pinaceae; genus Abies.

fir

views updated May 21 2018

fir
1. (Douglas fir) See PSEUDOTSUGA.

2. (hemlock fir) See TSUGA.

fir

views updated May 29 2018

fir XIV. prob. — ON. fyri- (in fyriskógr fir-wood, etc.) :- Gmc. *furχjōn, f. *furχō, whence OE. furh(wudu) fir-wood, OHG. forha (G. föhre), ON. fura; cf. L. quercus (:- *perkus) oak.