white cedar

noun

1
: an aromatic evergreen swamp tree (Chamaecyparis thyoides) of the cypress family that occurs along the eastern coast of the U.S. and has branchlets in fan-shaped sprays and small round cones
also : its wood
2
: northern white cedar

Examples of white cedar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Species include red oak, bur oak, white cedar, yellow birch, tamarack, black spruce and white pine. — Jimmy Lovrien, Twin Cities, 23 May 2025 The ceremonial fire, circled by cedar boughs, opened to the east where guests entered to offer prayer by sprinkling tobacco, sage, white cedar and sweetgrass to be burned. — Gregory Harutunian, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025 South Manitou has pretty sand dunes (fragile and not to be climbed), 10 miles of pebble beaches, and old-growth white cedars that are more than 500 years old. — Chloe Arrojado, AFAR Media, 21 Apr. 2025 His efforts have brought attention to the declining supply of Atlantic white cedar trees in Nipmuc territory. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 13 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for white cedar

Word History

First Known Use

1654, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of white cedar was in 1654

Rhymes for white cedar

See All Rhymes for white cedar

Browse Nearby Words

white cat
white cedar
white cell
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Cite this Entry

“White cedar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white%20cedar. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

white cedar

noun
1
: either of two trees related to the cypresses:
a
: an evergreen swamp tree of the eastern coast of the U.S.
b
: a common arborvitae especially of eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S.
2
: the wood of a white cedar
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