spruce: Meaning and Definition of

spruce

Pronunciation: (sprs), [key]
— n.
  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.
—adj.
  1. made from the wood of a spruce tree or trees.
  2. containing or abounding in spruce trees.

spruce

Pronunciation: (sprs), [key]
— adj., v., spruc•er, spruc•est, spruced, spruc•ing.
—adj.
  1. trim in dress or appearance; neat; smart; dapper.
—v.t.
  1. to make spruce or smart (often fol. by up): Spruce up the children before the company comes.
—v.i.
  1. to make oneself spruce (usually fol. by up).
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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