Definition

1. Noun:
   • A type of wood: The wood of a pencil cedar tree, known for its softness, straight grain, and pleasant aroma, historically prized for making pencil slats.
   • A type of tree: Any of several trees, typically junipers, whose wood possesses the qualities suitable for pencil-making.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Wood):
  • The box was crafted from fragrant pencil cedar.
  • Early pencils were made from pencil cedar because it sharpens cleanly.
• Noun (Tree):
  • The pencil cedar is actually a species of juniper.
  • They planted a row of pencil cedars along the property line.

Advanced Usage

• As a modifier: The term is often used attributively to describe objects made from this wood.
  • He owned a beautiful pencil cedar chest.
  • The aroma of the pencil cedar closet was unmistakable.

Variants and Related Words

• Pencil cedar tree: The full name for the tree itself.
• Eastern red cedar (): A common North American juniper historically and commercially used as a source of pencil cedar wood.
• Spanish cedar: A different, fragrant wood sometimes used for pencils and cigar boxes, which can cause confusion with true pencil cedar (juniper).

Synonyms

• Juniper wood (when referring to the material from specific species)
• Aromatic cedar (a common name for the wood used in closets and chests, often from )

Notes on Meaning

The term "pencil cedar" is primarily a commercial and historical name rather than a precise botanical one. It does not refer to true cedars (genus Cedrus) but to specific junipers (genus Juniperus), notably the Eastern red cedar. Its defining characteristic is its traditional use in pencil manufacturing.

Noun

1. wood of a pencil cedar tree; used for making pencils
2. any of several junipers with wood suitable for making pencils