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 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
1. (Douglas fir) See PSEUDOTSUGA.

2. (hemlock fir) See TSUGA.

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.