Definition

1. Noun:

   • A tall perennial woody plant: A large plant with a single main trunk, branches, and leaves (or needles), forming a distinct elevated crown. This includes both conifers (gymnosperms) and broad-leaved trees (angiosperms).
   • A diagram with a branching structure: A diagram representing hierarchical relationships, such as a family tree or organizational chart.
   • (Archaic) The cross: In religious contexts, specifically the cross on which Jesus was crucified.

2. Verb:

   • To chase or force up a tree: To cause a person or animal to climb a tree to escape, often used in hunting contexts.
   • To stretch on a shoetree: To place a shaped block (a shoetree) inside a shoe to maintain its form.
   • To plant with trees: To furnish an area with trees.
   • To force into a difficult position: To corner someone, leaving them with no escape.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • The oak is a common tree in this forest.
  • She drew a family tree to show her ancestry.
  • (Archaic) He was sentenced to die on the tree.

• Verb:

  • The hounds treed the raccoon.
  • Remember to tree your leather boots after wearing them.
  • We plan to tree the empty lot behind the house.

Advanced Usage

• "At the top of the tree": To be at the highest position in a profession or field.

  • After decades of work, she is finally at the top of the tree in her industry.

• "To be up a tree" / "To be treed": (Informal) To be in a difficult or perplexing situation with no easy solution.

  • I'm completely up a tree with this math problem.
  • The politician was treed by the reporter's sharp questions.

Variants and Related Words

• Shoetree (n): A device placed inside a shoe to preserve its shape.
• Treeless (adj): Lacking trees.
• Treen (n, archaic): Articles, especially household utensils, made of wood.

Synonyms

• Plant, sapling, timber (for the noun, as a living organism).
• Corner, trap (for the verb meaning to force into a position).
• Diagram, hierarchy, genealogy (for the noun as a structural chart).

Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Tree" is not commonly used to form standard phrasal verbs. The advanced idiomatic expressions above cover its figurative verbal use.)

Related Idioms

• "Bark up the wrong tree": To pursue a mistaken or misguided line of thought or course of action.

  • If you think I took your book, you're barking up the wrong tree.

• "Cannot see the forest for the trees": To be unable to understand a situation clearly because you are focusing too much on specific details.

  • By worrying about every minor cost, he couldn't see the forest for the trees and missed the project's overall value.

Verb

1. stretch (a shoe) on a shoetree
2. chase an animal up a tree
   • the hunters treed the bear with dogs and killed it
   • her dog likes to tree squirrels
3. plant with trees
   • this lot should be treed so that the house will be shaded in summer
4. force a person or an animal into a position from which he cannot escape

Noun

1. English actor and theatrical producer noted for his lavish productions of Shakespeare (1853-1917)
2. a figure that branches from a single root
   • genealogical tree
3. a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms