Spruce, n.
(spruːs)
Also 4 Sprws, Sprwys, 5 Sprewse, 6 Sprewce; 5–7 Sprusse, 5–6 Spruse, 6 Sprus, 7 Sc. Spruch.
[Alteration of Pruce, Prussia: cf. Sprucia.]
I. † 1. The country of Prussia. Also Spruce-land.
See also Pruce 2 a, quot. 1377.
| 1378 Durh. Acc. Rolls (Surtees) 47 In xxiiij piscibus de sprws empt., ij s. 14.. Chaucer's Dethe Blaunche 1025 (MS. Bodl. 638), She wolde not..send men yn-to Walakye, To Sprewse & yn-to Tartarye. 1521 in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. I. 292 The expedition of the Gentlemen of Spruce. c 1550 Bale K. Johan (Camden) 9 In Sycell, in Naples, in Venys and Ytalye, In Pole, Spruse and Berne. 1639 Fuller Holy War v. iii. 233 They busied themselves in defending of Christendome,..as the Teutonick order defended Spruce-land against the Tartarian. 1656 G. Abbot Descr. World 69 On the east and north corner of Germany lyeth a country called Prussia, in English Pruthen or Spruce. |
† b. attrib. in the sense of ‘brought or obtained from Prussia’, as
Spruce board,
Spruce canvas,
Spruce chest,
Spruce coffer, etc.
Obs. In some instances implying ‘made of spruce fir’.
| 1497 Naval Acc. Hen. VII (1896) 321, vj *spruce bordes. |
| 1545 Rates of Customes a v b, Canuas called *sprewce canuas the hundreth elles xx. s. 1640 in Entick London (1766) II. 167 Linnens: Gutting and spruce canvas. 1656 Act Commw. c. 20 Rates (1658) 470 Packing Canvas, Guttings, and Spruce Canvas. |
| 1461 Paston Lett. II. 37 On of the canvas baggis in the gret cofir, or in the *spruse chest. 1540 North Country Wills (Surtees) 174 The spruse chest which is in my litle chamber. |
| 1445 Test. Ebor. (Surtees) II. 195 j cistam vocatam *sprusse coffre. 1522 Wills & Inv. N.C. (Surtees, 1860) 106, I bequeathe to my said Wyffe..a spruse coffer. |
| 1489 Will of R. Parbrich (P.C.C., 1 Dogett), My *spruce Compter and Euidences in the same. |
| 1523 in Visit. Southwell (Camden) 121 A *spruse countre & a cup boorde. |
| 1614 T. Gentleman Engl. Way to Wealth 13 Tarre, mastes, and *Spruce-deales. 1626 Capt. Smith Accid. Yng. Seamen 10 Laying that Decke with spruce deale of 30 foot long. |
| 1670 J. Smith Eng. Improv. Reviv'd 190 Neer the Water are severall small Hutches made of boards for the *Spruce Ducks to lay their Eggs in. |
| 1524 in Rep. MSS. Ld. Middleton (1911) 372 Item paid..for vj *spruce elles,..vj s. |
| 1378 Durh. Acc. Rolls (Surtees) 47 In xl *sprwysfisc emp. vj s. viij d. |
| 1493 Bury Wills (Camden) 82, I beqwethe to Anneys my doughter a litell *spruce forcer. |
| 1550–1600 Customs Duties (B.M. Addit. MS. 25097), Iron. voc. Lewkes, or *spruse iron. 1649 Eng. Farrier xiii, Make your shooe of spruse or Spanish Iron. |
| 1597 N. Country Wills (Surtees) II. 175 My best gowne and a *spruce jerkyn. |
| 1464 Mann. & Househ. Exp. (Roxb.) 195 My mastyr lent hym a payr breganderys wyth *sprewse leder. 1530 Palsgr. 274/2 Spruse lether, besane. 1593 Nashe Four Lett. Conf. Wks. (Grosart) II. 221 A Broker, in a spruce leather ierkin with a great number of golde Rings on his fingers. 1656 G. Abbot Descr. World 70 The English do..bring from thence a kinde of leather, which was wont to be used in Jerkins, and called by the name of Spruce-Leather-Jerkins. 1706 Phillips (ed. Kersey), Spruce-Leather, a sort of Leather corruptly so call'd for Prussia Leather. |
| 1553 in Daniel-Tyssen Surrey Ch. Goods (1869) 106 For vj dossen of *spruse oker. 1687 J. Smith Art Painting (ed. 2) 22 Yellow-Oaker is of two sorts, one called Plain-Oaker, and the other Spruce-Oaker. 1875 Bedford Sailor's Pocket Bk. x. (ed. 2) 367 Stained with burnt umber, and spruce ochre ground in oil. |
| 1570 in Raine Richmondshire Wills (Surtees) 228 For ij *sprowese skynes. 1656 Act Commw. c. 20 Rates (1658) 475 Spruce skins tawed. |
| 1588 Shipping Lists Dundee (S.H.S.) 225 Ihone Jak hes of takill 14 *spruiss stains. 1597 Skene De Verb. Sign. s.v. Serplath, Ilk Sprusse stane conteinis twentie aucht pound Trois weicht. |
| 1497 Naval Acc. Hen. VII (1896) 241 A maste of a *spruce tree..bought for the foremast of the seid ship. Ibid., An other Spruce tre mast. |
| 1511 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. IV. 284, lxiiij pulleis of coppir, weyand vj{supc}lxxxxj pund of *Spruse wecht. |
| 1656 Act Commw. c. 20 Rates (1658) 477 *Spruce or Muscovia-yarn. 1711 Lond. Gaz. No. 4898/2 Polonia-Wool, Hogs-Bristles, Spruce-Yarn. |
| 1572 in Feuillerat Revels Q. Eliz. (1908) 178 Wylliam Lyzarde for syze,..*spruce yolow,..Gowlde [etc.]. |
2. ellipt. † a. A Spruce coffer or chest.
† b. Spruce leather.
c. Spruce beer.
† d. Spruce ochre.
| a. 1481–90 Howard Househ. Bks. (Roxb.) 273 Item a sprusse conteining ij. coffres of my Lordes. 1507 Pilton Churchw. Acc. (Som. Rec. Soc.) 54 Item one spruc. |
| b. 1570 Levins Manip. 182 Spruce, corium pumicatum. 1611 J. Davies (Heref.) Sco. Folly Wks. (Grosart) II. 63/1 What present haue we here? A booke... What stuffe containes it? Fustian, perfect spruce. |
| c. 1741 G. Berkeley in C'tess Suffolk's Lett. (1824) II. 182, I may hope to drink a bottle of spruce with you on Saturday night. 1793 Pearce Hartford Bridge ii. i, Waiter. I'll be as brisk, your honour, as bottled spruce in warm weather. 1826 J. F. Cooper Mohicans vi, ‘Come, friend,’ said Hawk-eye,..‘try a little spruce’. 1837 Dickens Pickw. xx, Printed cards, bearing reference to Devonshire cyder and Dantzic spruce. 1891 Daily News 23 Sept. 3/5 Witness gave him some hot spruce and ginger brandy, which eased him. |
| d. 1761 J. White Art's Treasury 75 Spanish brown, burnt spruce, and umber. |
† 3. collect. The Prussian people.
Obs.| 1640 Sir W. Mure Counter-Buff 101 Wks. (S.T.S.) II. 6 All vaste Teuton's states, the Spruch, the Dan, Dispatch..some trustie man, Stercovius to pursue. |
II. (Now with lower-case initial.)
4. ellipt. = spruce fir.
Freq. with specific epithets, as
black spruce,
red spruce,
white spruce,
hemlock spruce,
Canadian spruce,
Norway spruce,
Sitka spruce.
| 1670 Evelyn Sylva (ed. 2) xxii. 103 For masts, &c., those [firs] of Prussia, which we call Spruce, and Norway..are the best. 1717 Petiveriana iii. 213 Spruce or Hemlock⁓tree. 1772 Phil. Trans. LXII. 390 In Winter they taste strongly of the pine spruce, upon which they feed. 1792 J. Belknap Hist. New Hampsh. III. 110 The black spruce is used only for beer... Of this spruce, is made the essence, which is as well known in Europe as in America. 1824 Scott in Lockhart (1839) VII. 258 One set of insects is eating the larch, another the Spruce. 1846 J. Baxter Libr. Pract. Agric. (ed. 4) II. 331 The larch, spruce, and pine, require less space than the oak, chestnut, elm, &c. 1874 Stewart & Brandis Flora N. West India 526 On the south side of the Alps the Spruce forms large forests in Friaul. |
b. A species, or a single tree, of spruce fir.
| 1832 Planting (L.U.K.) 124/2 The white, black, and red spruces are of inferior value to the Norway. 1857 A. Gray First Less. Bot. (1866) 25 The main stem of Pines and Spruces..is carried on in a direct line throughout the whole growth of the tree. 1904 ‘Q’ (Quiller Couch) Fort Amity xxvii, The fragrance of the young spruces. |
c. The wood of the spruce fir.
| 1853 Sir H. Douglas Milit. Bridges (ed. 3) 39 The balks are of white pine, or spruce;..the chesses also are of spruce or white pine. 1894 Outing XXIV. 191/1 The white spruce is a tough, springy timber, similar to ash. |
d. An oar made of this wood.
| 1892 Sporting Life 26 March 7/5 They were to use the new Ayling oars, and the ‘spruces’ went much better than on the preceding day. |
5. attrib. (in sense 4), as
spruce bark,
spruce-bough,
spruce-cone,
spruce forest,
spruce green, etc.;
spruce budworm, the brown larva of a tortricid moth,
Choristoneura fumiferana, which damages the foliage of spruce trees in North America;
spruce grouse, (
a) the spotted Canada grouse; (
b) Franklin's grouse,
Canachites canadensis;
spruce hen, a female spruce grouse;
spruce partridge = spruce grouse (a);
spruce pine, one of several North American conifers, formerly
esp. the bog or black spruce,
Picea mariana, but now usually
Pinus glabra;
spruce tea, an infusion of tender spruce shoots.
Also
U.S. in names of insects which attack spruce trees, as
spruce-borer,
spruce saw-fly.
| 1784 M. Cutler in Life, etc. (1888) I. 101 Our ax-men..built us a very comfortable tent with *spruce bark. |
| 1888 Meredith Poems (1898) II. 145 Seeing..Our household's twinkle of light Through *spruce-boughs. |
| 1884 Rep. Comm. Agric. (U.S. Dept. Agric.) 378 The Reddish-Yellow *Spruce-Bud Worm..was found to be very injurious to the white spruce. 1925 [see biocœnosis]. 1976 Maclean's Mag. 3 May 56/3 Except for its larva..the spruce budworm is an unexceptional creature. |
| 1783 Latham Gen. Synop. Birds II. ii. 736 In winter [they] feed on *spruce-cones and juniper-berries. |
| 1874 Stewart & Brandis Flora N. West India 529 Silver Fir is found in some of the *Spruce forests of Saxony and Thuringia. |
| 1939 Sun (Baltimore) 11 Feb. 20/2 Enrollees of the Civilian Conservation Corps will be attired in new uniforms..of ‘forest’ or ‘*spruce’ green. |
| 1844 J. E. DeKay Zool. N.Y. ii. 206 The *Spruce Grouse... The flesh is bitter, and has a peculiar taste as if boiled in turpentine. 1874 Coues Birds N.W. 394 Tetrao Canadensis,..Franklin's Spruce Grouse. 1946 T. M. Stanwell-Fletcher Driftwood Valley 13 Several times we've scared up coveys of spruce grouse along the trail. 1966 Kingston (Ontario) Whig-Standard 21 Jan. 11/1 The spruce grouse is so retiring..that few people get to see one. |
| 1868 Rep. U.S. Commissioner Agric. (1869) 176 Frames of canoes..covered with its bark, sewed with spruce or tamarack..roots, and the seams calked with *spruce gum. 1894 Outing XXIII. 391/2 The seams are payed with melted spruce-gum, which effectually prevents leakage. |
| 1902 W. D. Hulbert Forest Neighbors 87 *Spruce hens and partridges. 1959 W. A. Leising Arctic Wings 31, I had not seen the spruce hen until the shot bird came tumbling out of the tree. 1971 A. Fry Long Journey vii. 41 We came on half a dozen spruce hens. |
| 1771 W. Richardson Jrnl. in Canad. Hist. Rev. (1935) XVI. 57 There are more *spruce Partridges in the woods than I have seen anywhere in this country. 1774 Phil. Trans. LXIV. 377 The red-game, with a smaller sort which resemble them, called the spruce-partridge. 1783 Latham Gen. Synop. Birds II. ii. 736 These [Spotted Grouse] are met with at Hudson's Bay, where they are called Wood or Spruce Partridges. 1872 Coues N. Amer. Birds 232 Tetrao falcipennis of Siberia, the representative of our spruce partridge. 1917 T. G. Pearson Birds Amer. II. 15/1 There is no such bird as the Spruce Partridge. It is the Spruce Grouse. 1963 Calgary Herald 4 Oct. 27/7 Spruce partridge and Franklin's grouse season has been open since Aug. 31. |
| 1765 J. Bartram Jrnl. 25 Sept. in Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc. (1942) XXXIII. 30/2 Y⊇ 2 leaved or *spruice pine grows very large in swamps. 1842 M. Crawford Jrnl. 10 Sept. (1897) 19, I noticed the White Pine and the Spruce Pine. 1886 Outing VIII. 60/2 One morning I entered a clump of bushes near a spruce-pine thicket. 1913 H. Kephart Our Southern Highlanders xiii. 295 The hemlock tree is named spruce-pine. 1949 Boston Globe Mag. 4 Dec. 11/2 He went up to the white ‘Honor Roll’ board nailed to a big spruce pine. 1967 N. T. Mirov Genus Pinus iii. 183 Pinus glabra (spruce pine) is the least common pine of the southeastern United States. |
| 1862 Chambers's Encycl. IV. 334/1 The true *Spruce Rosin flows spontaneously from the bark. |
| 1783 in New Brunswick Mag. (1899) II. 320 Some chocolate is wanted for our Masting Camp for at present we use *Spruce Tea which causes sum murmuring. 1936 Discovery Jan. 31/1 That unpalatable beverage, spruce tea. 1956 Beaver Summer 18, I lashed out strong laxatives all round and ordered spruce tea to be brewed and administered constantly. |
| 1872 Raymond Statist. Mines & Mining 152 A mountain thickly covered with pine and *spruce timber. |
| 1870 Morris Earthly Par. II. iii. 76 Midst rank grass a *spruce-tree stood. |
| 1792 J. Belknap Hist. New-Hampsh. III. 265 In some of the new towns a liquor is made of *spruce twigs, boiled in maple sap. |
| 1868 Morris Earthly Par. (1870) I. i. 171 Then with their melancholy sound The odorous *spruce woods met around. |