Pine Meaning
/paɪn/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAny coniferous tree of the genus Pinus.
nounAny tree (usually coniferous) which resembles a member of this genus in some respect.
Sentence Examples
This is a well-shaped pine tree.
Tall pine trees form a ring around the lake.
The shade of the pine tree provided some protection from the sun.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The tall evergreen ____ tree in our yard has needle-like leaves and cones.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The cabin was built from local ____ wood that gave it a warm and rustic appearance.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English pyne, from Old English *pīne, from Proto-West Germanic *pīnā, from Latin pīnus, see there for more. Doublet of pinus. Possibly related to fat.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"I stumbled along through the young pines and huckleberry bushes. Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path that, I cal'lated, might lead to the road I was hunting for. It twisted and turned, and, the first thing I knew, made a sudden bend around a bunch of bayberry scrub and opened out into a big clear space like a lawn."
— 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
"Sepia Delft tiles surrounded the fireplace, their crudely drawn Biblical scenes in faded cyclamen blending with the pinkish pine, while above them, instead of a mantelshelf, there was an archway high enough to form a balcony with slender balusters and a tapestry-hung wall behind."
— 1963, Margery Allingham, “Miss Thyrza’s Chair”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 41:
"Among the pines grew rowans hung with scarlet berries, and bilberry bushes whose leaves would be fair game for white moth caterpillars in spring. […] The increased vegetation also provides food for the pine martens, red squirrels and mountain hares that MacDonell is seeing in rising numbers, while the population of endangered birds such as crossbills and crested tits has also risen."
— 2020 February 25, Christopher de Bellaigue, “The end of farming?”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 06 Jan 2026:
""[…] I bought a pine-apple at the same time, which I gave to Sambo. Let's have it for tiffin; very cool and nice this hot weather." Rebecca said she had never tasted a pine, and longed beyond everything to taste one."
— 1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC:
"Linda carried the oysters in one hand and the pineapple in the other. […] [S]he put the bottle of oysters and the pine on a little carved chair."
— 1918 June, Katherine Mansfield [pseudonym; Kathleen Mansfield Murry], “Prelude”, in Bliss and Other Stories, London: Constable & Company, published 1920, →OCLC, chapter 7, pages 38–39:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The tall evergreen ____ tree in our yard has needle-like leaves and cones.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The cabin was built from local ____ wood that gave it a warm and rustic appearance.