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arborvitae definition

ar·bor·vi·tae (är′bər vīt′ē)

noun

  1. Bot. any of several trees or shrubs (genus Thuja) of the cypress family, with flattened sprays of scalelike leaves
  2. Anat. the treelike structure of the white substance in a longitudinal section of the cerebellum

Etymology: L, lit., tree of life

Also, esp. for arborvitaesense , arbor vitae

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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