Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of 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}.
\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.
\Spruce\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Spruced}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Sprucing}.] To dress with affected neatness; to trim; to make spruce.
\Spruce\, v. i. To dress one's self with affected neatness; as, to spruce up.