English Reference

Word

cedar

US/ˈsidɝ/

UK/sˈiːdɐ/

Definitions

01the tree

B2

n. a large evergreen tree with needles that stays green all year and often has a pleasant smell.

n. a coniferous evergreen tree of the genus Cedrus or similar genera in the Cupressaceae family, characterized by wide-spreading branches.

“The old cedar in the garden provided plenty of shade during the summer.”

“The hillside was densely populated with ancient cedars, their distinctive silhouettes standing out against the clear mountain sky.”

Synonyms

coniferevergreen

02the wood

B2

n. the reddish, sweet-smelling wood from a cedar tree, often used to make chests or closets.

n. the aromatic, decay-resistant reddish wood of a cedar tree, frequently utilized in construction and cabinetry. Uncountable when referring to the material.

“She kept her winter sweaters in a cedar chest to protect them from moths.”

“The architect specified cedar for the exterior cladding due to its natural resistance to moisture and insect damage.”

Synonyms

03programming language

C2 · Computing

n. a specific computer programming language created in the 1980s.

n. A high-level programming language developed at Xerox PARC as a successor to Mesa, incorporating garbage collection and other advanced features.

“The researchers developed the new operating system using the Cedar language.”

“Cedar was influential in the development of integrated development environments, though it never achieved widespread commercial adoption outside of research institutions.”

Technical

Real-World Examples

“The team removed invasive species , like the water-hogging Russian olive tree, and planted native species, including willows, milkweed, cedar, Indian tobacco and chokecherries.”
Smithsonian Magazine · 28 Jul 2026

Etymology

Probably a variant of Ceder.

From cedar, because of the abundant local trees.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Domain

Computing

This entry

Level
C2 · Proficiency
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference