fir

Meaning

Noun

• A conifer of the genus Abies.
• Any pinaceous conifer of related genera, especially a Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga) or a Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris).
• Wood of such trees.

Related

Similar words

• fir-tree
• firwood

Origin

• From Middle English firre, from either Old Norse fýri (as in fýriskógr or Old English fyrh, furh (as in furhwudu, from Proto-West Germanic *furhu, from Proto-Germanic *furhō, *furhijǭ from Proto-Indo-European *pŕ̥kʷeh₂, from *pérkʷus.
• Germanic cognates include Dutch vuren, Low German Fuhr, German Föhre ("pine"), Danish fyr). Outside of Germanic, compare Italian (Trentino) porca, Latin quercus ("oak"), Albanian shpardh, shparr, Punjabi ਪਰਗਾਇ ("holm oak, Quercus baloot")). Related to frith.