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sprucemore about spruce

spruce


  6  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Spruce  \Spruce\,  a.  [Compar.  {Sprucer};  superl.  {Sprucest}] 
  [Perhaps  fr  spruce  a  sort  of  leather  from  Prussia,  which  was 
  an  article  of  finery.  See  {Spruce},  n.] 
  1.  Neat,  without  elegance  or  dignity;  --  formerly  applied  to 
  things  with  a  serious  meaning;  now  chiefly  applied  to 
  persons.  ``Neat  and  spruce  array.''  --Remedy  of  Love. 
 
  2.  Sprightly;  dashing.  [Obs.]  ``Now,  my  spruce  companions.'' 
  --Shak. 
 
  He  is  so  spruce  that  he  can  never  be  genteel. 
  --Tatler. 
 
  Syn:  Finical;  neat;  trim.  See  {Finical}.  --  {Sruce"ly},  adv 
  --  {Spruce"ness},  n. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Spruce  \Spruce\,  n.  [OE.  Spruce  or  Pruse,  Prussia,  Prussian.  So 
  named  because  it  was  first  known  as  a  native  of  Prussia,  or 
  because  its  sprouts  were  used  for  making,  spruce  beer.  Cf 
  Spruce  beer,  below,  {Spruce},  a.] 
  1.  (Bot.)  Any  coniferous  tree  of  the  genus  {Picea},  as  the 
  Norway  spruce  ({P.  excelsa}),  and  the  white  and  black 
  spruces  of  America  ({P.  alba}  and  {P.  nigra}),  besides 
  several  others  in  the  far  Northwest.  See  {Picea}. 
 
  2.  The  wood  or  timber  of  the  spruce  tree. 
 
  3.  Prussia  leather;  pruce.  [Obs.] 
 
  Spruce,  a  sort  of  leather  corruptly  so  called  for 
  Prussia  leather.  --E.  Phillips. 
 
  {Douglas  spruce}  (Bot.),  a  valuable  timber  tree  ({Pseudotsuga 
  Douglasii})  of  Northwestern  America. 
 
  {Essence  of  spruce},  a  thick,  dark-colored,  bitterish,  and 
  acidulous  liquid  made  by  evaporating  a  decoction  of  the 
  young  branches  of  spruce. 
 
  {Hemlock  spruce}  (Bot.),  a  graceful  coniferous  tree  ({Tsuga 
  Canadensis})  of  North  America.  Its  timber  is  valuable,  and 
  the  bark  is  largely  used  in  tanning  leather. 
 
  {Spruce  beer}.  [G.  sprossenbier  sprosse  sprout,  shoot  (akin 
  to  E.  sprout,  n.)  +  bier  beer.  The  word  was  changed  into 
  spruce  because  the  beer  came  from  Prussia  (OE.  Spruce),  or 
  because  it  was  made  from  the  sprouts  of  the  spruce.  See 
  {Sprout},  n.,  {Beer},  and  cf  {Spruce},  n.]  A  kind  of  beer 
  which  is  tinctured  or  flavored  with  spruce,  either  by 
  means  of  the  extract  or  by  decoction. 
 
  {Spruce  grouse}.  (Zo["o]l.)  Same  as  {Spruce  partridge}, 
  below. 
 
  {Spruce  leather}.  See  {Spruce},  n.,  3. 
 
  {Spruce  partridge}  (Zo["o]l.),  a  handsome  American  grouse 
  ({Dendragapus  Canadensis})  found  in  Canada  and  the 
  Northern  United  States;  --  called  also  {Canada  grouse}. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Spruce  \Spruce\,  v.  t.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Spruced};  p.  pr  &  vb  n. 
  {Sprucing}.] 
  To  dress  with  affected  neatness;  to  trim;  to  make  spruce. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Spruce  \Spruce\,  v.  i. 
  To  dress  one's  self  with  affected  neatness;  as  to  spruce  up 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  spruce 
  adj  :  marked  by  smartness  in  dress  and  manners;  "a  dapper  young 
  man";  "a  jaunty  red  hat"  [syn:  {dapper},  {dashing},  {jaunty}, 
  {natty},  {raffish},  {rakish},  {smart},  {snappy}] 
  n  1:  light  soft  moderately  strong  wood  of  spruce  trees;  used 
  especially  for  timbers  and  millwork 
  2:  any  coniferous  tree  of  the  genus  Picea 
  v  1:  make  neat,  smart,  or  trim;  "Spruce  up  your  house  for  Spring" 
  [syn:  {spruce  up},  {titivate},  {tittivate},  {smarten  up}, 
  {slick  up},  {spiff  up}] 
  2:  dress  and  groom  with  particular  care  as  for  a  special 
  occasion;  "He  spruced  up  for  the  party"  [syn:  {spruce  up}, 
  {slick  up},  {smarten  up}] 
 
  From  U.S.  Gazetteer  (1990)  [gazetteer]: 
 
  Spruce,  MI 
  Zip  code(s):  48762 




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