n.
- a woody perennial plant typically with a single stem or trunk growing to a considerable height and bearing lateral branches.
- a wooden structure or part of a structure.
▸archaic or literary the cross on which Christ was crucified.
▸archaic a gibbet.
-
(also tree diagram)
a diagram with a structure of branching connecting lines, representing different processes and relationships.
v.
(trees, treeing, treed)
- N. Amer. force (a hunted animal) to take refuge in a tree.
- informal, chiefly US force into a difficult situation.
Phrase
- out of one's tree
informal mad.
Derivative
- treeless adj.
- treelessness n.
- tree-like adj.
Etymology
OE trēow, trēo: from Gmc.