Fir

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /fɜː(ɹ)/
• US enPR: fûr, IPA: /fɝ/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)
• Homophones: fur

Origin

From Middle English firre, from either Old Norse fýri (as in fýriskógr 'fir-wood')

Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd edn., s.v. "fir" (Oxford, 2000).

or Old English fyrh, furh (as in furhwudu 'pinewood'),

J.P. Mallory, Douglas Q. Adams, eds., Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture s.v. "oak", "pine" (London: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997), pp. 407, 428-9.

from Proto-Germanic *furhijǭ (compare Low German Fuhr, German Föhre 'pine', Danish fyr), from Proto-Indo-European *pŕ̥kʷeh₂ (compare Italian (Trentino) porca 'fir'), from *pérkʷus 'oak' (compare Latin quercus 'oak', Albanian shpardh, shparr 'Italian oak', Punjabi ਪਰਗਾਇ (pargāī, "holm oak, Quercus baloot")). Related to frith.

Full definition of fir

Noun

1. (chiefly countable, British) Any conifer of a variety of genera, especially a Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris or a (Abies).
2. (chiefly countable, US) A conifer of the genus Abies.
• 1907, w
• 1991, Paul Chadwick, Concrete: American Christmas, Dark Horse BooksI can almost smell the fir scent… resinous, pungent.
3. (uncountable) Wood of such trees.

Synonyms

• (all countable senses) fir tree

Derived terms

• balsam fir - Abies balsamea
• bristlecone fir -
• corkbark fir -
• Chinese fir -
• Douglas fir, Douglas-fir -
• fir adelgid -
• fir clubmoss -
• fir mistletoe -
• fir-cone
• firlike
• firleaf beardtongue -
• firless
• firmoss - Huperzia spp.
• firry
• Fraser fir -
• grand fir -
• Guatemalan fir -
• jointfir - Ephedra
• Momi fir -
• Nikko fir -
• noble fir -
• Pacific silver fir -
• red fir - Abies spp.
• Riga fir - Pinus sylvestris
• sacred fir -
• Scotch fir - Pinus sylvestris
• sea fir -
• silver fir - Abies alba
• sprucefir fleabane -
• subalpine fir -
• white fir -

Anagrams

• Fri
• IFR
• RFI
• RIF