cypress

 
Pronunciation: /ˈsʌɪprəs/

noun

  • (also cypress tree) an evergreen coniferous tree with small rounded woody cones and flattened shoots bearing small scale-like leaves.
    • Cupressus, Chamaecyparis, and other genera, family Cupressaceae: many species, including the columnar Italian cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), common throughout southern Europe.
  • a cypress tree, or branches from it, as a symbol of mourning.
  • used in names of coniferous trees of other families that resemble the cypress, e.g. swamp cypress.

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French cipres, from late Latin cypressus, from Greek kuparissos