Transcription
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
-
- [sproos]
- /sprus/
- /spruːs/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [sproos]
- /sprus/
Definitions of spruce word
- noun spruce 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. 1
- noun spruce any of various allied trees, as the Douglas fir and the hemlock spruce. 1
- noun spruce the wood of any such tree. 1
- adjective spruce trim in dress or appearance; neat; smart; dapper. 1
- verb with object spruce to make spruce or smart (often followed by up): Spruce up the children before the company comes. 1
- verb without object spruce to make oneself spruce (usually followed by up). 1
Information block about the term
Origin of spruce
First appearance:
before 1350 One of the 20% oldest English words
1350-1400; Middle English, special use of Spruce, sandhi variant of Pruce < Old French Pruce < Medieval Latin Prussia Prussia, whence the timber came
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Spruce
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
spruce popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 91% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
spruce usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for spruce
adv spruce
- adeptly — very skilled; proficient; expert: an adept juggler.
- adroitly — expert or nimble in the use of the hands or body.
- agilely — quick and well-coordinated in movement; lithe: an agile leap.
- aptly — inclined; disposed; given; prone: too apt to slander others.
- artistically — conforming to the standards of art; satisfying aesthetic requirements: artistic productions.
verb spruce
- apparelled — clothing, especially outerwear; garments; attire; raiment.
- arrange — If you arrange an event or meeting, you make plans for it to happen.
- bedizen — to dress or decorate gaudily or tastelessly
- breech — The breech of a gun is the part of the barrel at the back into which you load the bullets.
- breeched — the lower, rear part of the trunk of the body; buttocks.
noun spruce
- asepsis — the state of being free from living pathogenic organisms
- cleanliness — Cleanliness is the degree to which people keep themselves and their surroundings clean.
- disinfection — to cleanse (rooms, wounds, clothing, etc.) of infection; destroy disease germs in.
- immaculateness — The characteristic of being immaculate; spotlessness.
- nattiness — The quality of being natty.
adj spruce
- bandbox — a lightweight usually cylindrical box used for holding small articles, esp hats
- bluenose — a puritanical or prudish person
- brand spanking new — (Informal) utterly new, as new as possible.
- crisp — Food that is crisp is pleasantly hard, or has a pleasantly hard surface.
- dapper — A man who is dapper has a very neat and clean appearance, and is often also small and thin.
adverb spruce
- charmingly — In a charming manner.
- elegantly — Gracefully, smoothly, and swiftly; with supreme style.
- expertly — In an expert manner; with great skill.
- exquisitely — In an exquisite manner.
- felicitously — In a felicitous manner.
Top questions with spruce
- where is the spruce goose?
- what does spruce mean?
- where is the spruce goose location?
- what color is spruce?
- where is the spruce goose located?
- what is spruce?
- who built the spruce goose?
- where is the spruce goose now?
- where to buy norway spruce trees?
- how to spruce up canned green beans?
- why are my spruce trees turning brown?
- how to spruce up instant mashed potatoes?
- how do spruce trees reproduce?
- how to plant a norway spruce?
- why is my blue spruce turning brown?
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with s
- Words starting with sp
- Words starting with spr
- Words starting with spru
- Words starting with spruc
- Words starting with spruce