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spruceadj.1n. Origin: From a proper name. Etymons: proper name Spruce, Spruse, Sprws, Sprewse. Etymology: < Spruce, Spruse, Sprws, Sprewse, etc. (late 14th cent. or earlier: see note), variant or alteration of Pruce, former name in English of Prussia (see pruce adj.). Compare the post-classical Latin variant of the name Sprucia, Sprusia, which is recorded slightly earlier (see Sprucia n.). Compare later Sprucia n., Prussian adj., pruss n.Place-name evidence. Variants in S- of the name of Prussia are frequent in texts from England from the 14th cent. to the 17th cent.; compare Anglo-Norman Spruce (1347 or earlier) and also:1378 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1898) I. 47 In 24 piscibus de sprws empt., 2s.c1440 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Egerton 2726) (1901) l. 53 Ffull often tymes hade he the boorde bygon Aboue all nacions in Spruce.c1475 ( G. Chaucer Bk. Duchess (Bodl. 638) (1880) l. 1025 She wolde not..send men yn-to walakye To sprewse [a1450 Tanner pruse] & yn-to Tartarye.1521 in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1827) 2nd Ser. I. 292 The expedition of the Gentlemen of Spruce.a1563 J. Bale King Johan (1969) i. 215 In Sycell, in Naples, in Venys and Ytalye, In Pole, Sprvse and Beine.1599 Abp. G. Abbot Briefe Descr. Worlde sig. Aviv On the east and north corner of Germany, lieth a country called Prussia,..in English Pruthen or Sprusa.1661 in J. Stuart Misc. Spalding Club (1852) V. 339 James Barclay..now reportit to haue his residence in Memle in Spruis.In the 17th cent. the compound name Spruceland is also attested; compare: 1639 T. Fuller Hist. Holy Warre v. iii. 233 They busied themselves in defending of Christendome,..as the Teutonick order defended Spruce-land against the Tartarian. Surname evidence. Perhaps compare also the Middle English surname Ricardus le Sprus (1327), which may imply earlier currency of the noun in a sense ‘person from Prussia’. Further etymology. The origin of the initial S- of the country name is unclear. It has been suggested that it may reflect misanalysis within English of a construction in a language spoken in the course of Hanseatic trade, such as Polish z Prus from Prussia or Middle High German das Priuzen Prussia, des Priuzens (genitive) of Prussia. However, the initial S- of the English name may simply be an excrescent phonological development. Notes on senses. Application of the ethnonym (sense A. 1) to the wood of coniferous trees (compare A. 2, B. 1) appears originally to reflect the fact that the timber of the Norway spruce Picea abies and goods made from it were imported into Britain from Prussia and other Baltic states by the Hanseatic League from the 13th to the 15th centuries, although use of the noun to denote the tree itself is first attested rather later (see sense B. 3a). Subsequently the noun was applied to various other coniferous trees, especially in North America, on account of their similarity to Picea abies. Compare spruce adj.2 for what are probably further sense developments of this word, arising from the association of Prussian imports with luxury. A. adj.1the world > the earth > named regions of earth > Europe > Germanic region > [adjective] > Prussia 1378 in J. T. Fowler (1898) I. 47 In 40 sprwys fisc. emp. 6s. 8d. 1420 in A. H. Thomas (1943) IV. 77 (MED) [One barrel with] spruseyeren. 1511 in J. B. Paul (1902) IV. 284 lxiiij pulleis of coppir, weyand vjclxxxxj pund of Spruse wecht. 1545 sig. avv Canuas called sprewce canuas the hundreth elles xx.s. 1597 in J. W. Clay (1912) II. 175 My best gowne cand a spruce jerkyn. 1657 Booke Values Merchandize Imported in 57 (table) Spruce skins tawed. 1670 J. Smith 190 Neer the Water are severall small Hutches made of boards for the Spruce Ducks to lay their Eggs in. 1711 No. 4898/2 Polonia-Wool, Hogs-Bristles, Spruce-Yarn. 1800 29 Nov. (advt.) To be sold by auction..25 pieces of Spruce Canvas. 1898 S. Baring-Gould iv. 73 The spruce chest, made of cypress wood,..was thought to preserve silk and cloth from the moth. 1972 H. C. Stevens tr. H. Zins iv. 101 In 1587–88 he bought..20 lasts of spruce flax. society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood of specific trees > [adjective] > fir > type of 1415 Inventory in (1918) 70 99 Item, vn Spruse ferser [v.r. Spruesfocer], pris vj d. 1493 in S. Tymms (1850) 82 I bequethe to Anneys my doughter..a litell spruce forcer. 1522 in W. Greenwell (1860) II. 106 I bequeathe to my said Wyffe..a spruse coffer. 1523 in A. F. Leach (1891) 121 A spruse countre & a cup boorde. 1628 33 Our men found a gibbet..made of a spruce mast. 1770 G. Cartwright 19 Dec. (1792) I. 71 It [sc. an Esquimau sled] is made of two spruce planks. 1841 20 Mar. The floor..was of spruce plank, and they looked very new. 1982 29 May 20/5 (advt.) Oak & spruce cupboard doors & drawer fronts. 2008 D. Robb xiv. 69 The stout spruce mast stepped down through a bronze ring at deck level. B. n. 1. society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood of specific trees > [noun] > fir 1400 (P.R.O.: C 145/278/16) j par. de Botell. de Spruche. 1449 in J. Raine (1865) III. 109 (MED) j parva cista de spruce. 1531 C. Morris Inv. Great Barke 6 Oct. in (1919) 5 21 Item. A nyew mayne mast of spruce with a nyew staye hounsyd and skarvyd with the same wood whyche mast ys of leynght from the hounse to the step xxv yaerdes. 1616 J. Deacon 185 The sweetest gold couched vp long since in their Cabbinets made of spruce. 1746 T. Prior 94 The Spruce is then taken out, and a Gallon of Mollasses put to the Water. 1853 H. Douglas (ed. 3) ii. 39 The balks are of white pine, or spruce..the chesses also are of spruce or white pine. 1894 June 191/1 The white spruce is a tough, springy timber, similar to ash. 1945 21 82/1 The Europeans who settled in the New World were accustomed to the so-called soft woods—pine and spruce—for construction purposes. 2001 46 252/1 The wooden panels are made from spruce. society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > box > [noun] > chest > made of spruce 1481–2 in J. P. Collier (1844) 273 Item a sprusse conteining ij. coffres of my Lordes. 1507 in E. Hobhouse (1890) 54 Itm one spruc. society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > rowing apparatus > [noun] > oar > oar made of specific material 1871 R. B. Johnson 257 He developed a taste for boating, and many of his leisure hours during boy-hood were spent in endeavoring to become proficient in feathering the spruces. 1892 26 Mar. 7/5 They were to use the new Ayling oars, and the ‘spruces’ went much better than on the preceding day. society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > leather > [noun] > other types of leather 1570 P. Levens sig. Pii/1 Spruce, corium pumicatum. 1611 J. Davies 255 What Present haue we here? A Booke... What Stuffe containes it? Fustian, perfect Spruce. 3. the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > conifers > [noun] > spruces the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > conifers > [noun] > spruces > single spruce tree ?1602 J. Brereton (ed. 2) 36 The seuerall sorts of trees, as Pines, Firres, Spruses, Birch and others, are to be boared with great augers a foot or halfe a yard aboue the ground. c1612 W. Strachey (1953) ii. 156 The wood..is not shrubbish fitt only for fewell, but goodly Oak, Birch, Beech, tall Firr and Spruse. 1620 J. Mason sig. A4 The Land of the North parts most mountanye & woodye very thick of Firre trees, Spruce, Pine Lereckhout, Aspe, [etc.]. 1670 J. Evelyn (ed. 2) xxii. 103 For masts, &c., those [firs] of Prusia, which we call Spruse, and Norway..are the best. 1772 (Royal Soc.) 62 390 In Winter they taste strongly of the pine spruce, upon which they feed. 1820 5 264 The proper spruces already mentioned—A[bies] excelsa of the north of Europe, and A. nigra and A. alba of North America. 1874 J. L. Stewart & D. Brandis 526 On the south side of the Alps the Spruce forms large forests in Friaul. 1960 M. Sperry 70 The coppery sun was setting behind a forest of spruce and birch and its horizontal light struck their faces as they walked. 1984 4 204/2 The Siberian spruce, Picea obovata, appears beyond longitude 40° East, extending as far as the Pacific coastline. 2009 J. E. Eckenwalder iii. 40/2 The spruces are the pride and joy of the park. 1666 R. Sandford Relation Voyage Coast Province Carolina in L. Cheves (2000) 63 On the Outside of the woods some single scattring Pine trees but of the sort which is called spruce. 1752 W. Douglass II. ix. 55 (note) The Spruces so called, grow in Swamps or Marshes. 1825 W. Cobbett § 260 The Hemlock Spruce (Abies Canadensis). The leaves of this Spruce are shorter and smaller than those of other sorts. the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > native or inhabitant of Germany > [noun] > parts of 1640 W. Mure 6 All vaste Teutons states, the Spruch, the Dan, Dispatch..some trustie man, Stercovius to pursue. the world > matter > colour > named colours > yellow or yellowness > colouring matter > [noun] > pigments 1668 iv. i. 90 The Colours to be burnt are these: Ivory, Spruse, Oker, and Umber. ?1740 ii. 169 There are Colours indifferent to temporize,..Burnt-Spruce, Spanish Brown, and Umber. the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > ale or beer > non-malted brews > [noun] > spruce beer 1741 G. Berkeley Let. 5 Apr. in (1824) II. 182 I may hope to drink a bottle of spruce with you on Saturday night. 1793 W. Pearce ii. i. 23 Waiter. I'll be as brisk, your Honour, as bottled spruce in warm weather. 1826 J. F. Cooper I. vi. 77 ‘Come, friend,’ said Hawk-eye,..‘try a little spruce’. 1836 C. Dickens (1837) xx. 208 Printed cards, bearing reference to Devonshire cyder and Dantzic spruce. 1891 23 Sept. 3/5 Witness gave him some hot spruce and ginger brandy, which eased him. 2014 E. Moon xxvii. 364 ‘I was drinking spruce,’ he said. Compounds C1. Compounds of the adjective. 1461 J. Paston in (2004) I. 98 On of the canvas baggis jn the gret cofir or in the spruse chestt. 1540 in J. W. Clay (1908) I. 174 The spruse chest which is in my litle chamber. 2010 K. Giles in T. Hamling & C. Richardson xix. 281 The vestments..were probably stored in the spruce chest listed in the inventory. 1591 R. Hitchcock in W. Garrard & R. Hitchcock 359 In Spruce deales, two hundred. 1626 J. Smith 10 Laying that Decke with spruce deale of 30. foot long. 1778 24 July Goods Imported..Richard Kent..10 clap-boards, 20 spruce deals. 1864 13 May 422/1 The floors of bed-rooms are of spruce deal. 2013 42 99 The British trade in pine and spruce deals continued to be the most prominent sector of the New Brunswick forest industries into the 20th century. 1464 in (1841) 195 My mastyr lent hym a payr breganderys wyth sprewse leder. 1530 J. Palsgrave f. lxviv/1 Spruse lether, besane. 1592 T. Nashe sig. E4v A Broker in a spruce leather ierkin with a great number of golde Rings on his fingers. 1605 Abp. G. Abbot (rev. ed.) sig. E1 Our English..do bring from thence a kinde of leather, which was woont to bee vsed in Ierkins, and called by the name of Spruse Leather Ierkins. 1706 (new ed.) Spruce-Leather, a sort of Leather corruptly so call'd for Prussia Leather. 1892 W. Pater Emerald Uthwart in June 721 Uniforms, their scarlet and white and blue, spruce leather and steel, and gold lace, enlivening the old oak stalls at service time. ?c1550 in (1869) 4 106 For vj dossen of spruse oker. 1687 J. Smith (ed. 2) 22 Yellow-Oaker is of two sorts, one called Plain-Oaker, and the other Spruce-Oaker. 1874 F. G. D. Bedford x. 320 Stained with burnt umber, and spruce ochre ground in oil. 2008 N. Eastaugh et al. 286/1 The ‘second best’ ochre available to British artists was imported and known as Dutch or Spruce ochre. 1548 Acta Dominorum Concilii et Sessionis XXIV. f. 131 in at Sprus(e Ilk Sprus stane contenand xxvi pundis wecht scottis or tharby. 1622 Brechin Test. IV. in at Spruse Nyne Spruis staine vax estimat to ijc lib. 1727 J. Steuart Let. 8 Apr. in (1915) 274 60 sprush ston of best bareband flax in three bealls. 1777 R. Hamilton I. 325 In Poland, an ordinary stone = 16 lb.; a spruce stone = 34 lb. 1572 in A. Feuillerat (1908) 178 Wylliam Lyzarde for syze,..spruce yolow,..Gowlde [etc.]. 1795 A. Packard Let. in 1st Ser. IV. 49 His first attempts in making spruce yellow, were flattering. 1809 Mar. 209 Three different shades of yellow ochre, the brightest of which is declared by judges to be very little, if at all, inferiour to the imported spruce yellow. 2010 (Nexis) July 20 Soft, sensual fabrics in subtle tones of grey, burgundy, taffy and spruce yellow. C2. Compounds of the noun. a. 1662 Court Rec. 22 Nov. in J. H. Trumbull (1850) I. 402 We..haue run the due cross line at the end, which line runs on the South side of a spruse swamp. 1742 W. Ellis 82 Sew them with Thread of Spruce-roots. 1784 M. Cutler Jrnl. 23 July in W. P. Cutler & J. P. Cutler (1888) I. 101 Our ax-men..built us a very comfortable tent with spruce bark. 1862 IV. 334/1 The true Spruce Rosin flows spontaneously from the bark. 1868 W. Morris i. 171 Then with their melancholy sound The odorous spruce woods met around. 1872 R. W. Raymond 152 A mountain thickly covered with pine and spruce timber. 1939 11 Feb. 20/2 Enrollees of the Civilian Conservation Corps will be attired in new uniforms..of ‘forest’ or ‘spruce’ green. 1974 W. Condry ii. 20 American oaks..provide much-needed colour along the edges of sombre spruce plantations. 2010 23 357 The curtains and upholstery were embroidered with a spare geometric design of sprouting spruce branches. 2013 7 Feb. l2 We originally collected the materials ourselves from the woods, including the bark and the spruce gum used to seal it. (b) 1783 J. Latham II. ii. 736 In winter [they] feed on spruce-cones and juniper-berries. 1896 13 Mar. The little red squirrel feeds on spruce cones almost exclusively. 2007 A. Weisman i. 9 Great spotted woodpeckers store spruce cones in their three-inch-deep bark furrows. 1806 D. Zeisberger 64/1 Schin di ke u, Spruce Forest. 1958 W. S. Cooper 65 Through thicket to pine or spruce forest. 2011 H. Blum xv. 246 The sun went down and a thick darkness enveloped the spruce forest. b. 1883 3rd Rep. U.S. Entomol. Comm. ix. 254 (heading) in (47th Congr., 2nd Sess.: House of Representatives Misc. Doc. 44) XV Flat-headed spruce borer. (Melanophila ?) 1929 F. P. Keen (Calif. Dept. Nat. Resources: Division Forestry Bull. No. 7) 65 The Black Spruce Borer (Asemum atrum Esch.)..commonly feeds in the sapwood of dying Douglas fir. 2009 (Nexis) 3 May g1 If the very top leader of your spruce or pine tree withers and dies but the rest of the tree otherwise appears healthy,..the most likely culprit is a pine or spruce borer. the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Heterocera > [noun] > family Tortricidae > choristoneura fumiferana larva (spruce budworm) 1883 Rep. Commissioner Agric: Rep. Entomologist 147 in (47th Congr., 2nd Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc. 109) XXV The spruce-bud worm..feeds upon the leaves or needles of the terminal shoots, both the first and previous year's growth. 1958 22 92/1 Some forests of western Montana are infested with spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana), which is controlled by aerial applications of DDT. 2016 (Nexis) 18 May b1 A warming trend has left forests drier and more susceptible to pests, such as the spruce budworm. the world > animals > birds > order Galliformes (fowls) > family Tetraonidae (grouse) > [noun] > dendrogapus canadensis (spruce grouse) 1842 J. E. De Kay i. Pref. p. x We meet here with the Canada Jay and Spruce Grouse, the Swan, the Raven and the Arctic Woodpecker. 1874 E. Coues 394 Tetrao Canadensis,..Franklin's Spruce Grouse. 1946 T. M. Stanwell-Fletcher 13 Several times we've scared up coveys of spruce grouse along the trail. 2007 May 88/2 Only the hollow call of a spruce grouse broke the quiet. the world > animals > birds > order Galliformes (fowls) > family Tetraonidae (grouse) > [noun] > dendrogapus canadensis (spruce grouse) > female 1866 18 Oct. 257/3 I was reminded of the great numbers of that bird I saw in the mountains of California and Oregon; called there grouse, or spruce-hen, from being found so much on the spruce tree. 1971 A. Fry vii. 41 We came on half a dozen spruce hens. 2000 N. Cobb & C. W. Sasser xiii. 67 Les and Sid hunted for our meals, providing a fresh supply of snowshoe hare, spruce hen, which is our type of grouse, and an occasional porcupine for variety. the world > animals > birds > order Galliformes (fowls) > family Tetraonidae (grouse) > [noun] > dendrogapus canadensis (spruce grouse) a1771 W. Richardson Jrnl. in (1935) 16 57 There are more spruce Partridges in the woods than I have seen anywhere in this country. 1963 4 Oct. 27/7 Spruce partridge and Franklin's grouse season has been open since Aug. 31. 2010 A. Vietze 20 He took a spruce partridge in a cedar swamp and another partridge on a hemlock ridge. the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > conifers > [noun] > spruces the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > conifers > [adjective] > of or relating to other conifers 1731 M. Catesby I. p. xxii/1 There is also in Carolina a Fir which is there called Spruce-Pine. 1913 H. Kephart xiii. 295 The hemlock tree is named spruce-pine. 1967 N. T. Mirov iii. 183 Pinus glabra (spruce pine) is the least common pine of the southeastern United States. 2016 (Nexis) 15 Sept. 22 The rear garden with a simple layout, centres around a towering spruce pine. 1881 A. S. Packard (U.S. Entomol. Comm. Bull. No. 7) 234 (heading) The spruce saw-fly. Lophyrus abietis... Occurring infrequently and not gregariously in Maine late in August on the spruce. 1941 24 Jan. 82/1 Most of the spruce in parts of eastern Canada has been killed by the European spruce saw-fly (Diprion polytomum). 2001 (Nexis) 12 July g4 A closer look revealed..yellow-headed spruce sawflies individually munching on needles, one at a time from tip to base. the world > food and drink > drink > infused leaves, flowers, or fruit > [noun] > others 1783 in (1899) 2 320 Some chocolate is wanted for our Masting Camp for at present we use Spruce Tea which causes sum murmuring. 1936 Jan. 31/1 That unpalatable beverage, spruce tea. 2016 A. Proulx xxx. 198 The Passamaquoddy shared two good bark baskets so they could heat water for spruce tea. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022). spruceadj.2adv. Etymology: Probably a specific sense development of spruce adj.1Senses A. 1, A. 2a, and A. 2b are all first attested in the 1590s (as is the corresponding verb spruce v.1), and the relative priority of the three senses of this adjective is uncertain. In early use it is also difficult to distinguish between instances of sense A. 1 ‘lively, spry’ and sense A. 2b ‘smart, dapper’. However, it seems likely that this word originated in sense A. 2, arising from the use of spruce adj.1 to designate luxury goods, fabrics, and fashions imported from Prussia and other Baltic countries by the Hanseatic League. Compare e.g. spruce leather n. at spruce adj.1 and n. Compounds 1 (beside sprucest leather in quot. 1609 at sense A. 2b) and also e.g.:1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. viv Syr Edward Haward..and with hym syr Thomas Parre in doblettes of Crimosin veluet, voyded lowe on the backe, and before to the cannell bone, lased on the breastes with chaynes of siluer, and ouer that shorte clokes of Crimosyn satyne, and on their heades hattes after dauncers fashion, with feasauntes fethers in theim: They were appareyled after the fashion of Prusia or Spruce.1598 E. Guilpin Skialetheia sig. D6v Heere comes Don Fashion, spruce formality, Neat as a Merchants ruffe. With sense A. 1 (beside sense A. 2b) perhaps compare e.g. brisk adj., smart adj., tricksy adj. A. adj.2the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [adjective] > brisk or active 1590 R. Harvey sig. C3v There steps me in a third tricksie, neat, nimble, spruse Artificer. 1598 J. Marston iii. ix. sig. G8 But when to seruile imitatorship Some spruce Athenian pen is prentized, Tis worse then Apish. 1606 W. Warner xvi. ci. 399 The sprewsest Citie-Lads for her would faine the Countrie-aire. 1642 H. More sig. P3 Here Aristophanes Doth maken sport with some spruse Comedie. ?1706 E. Hickeringill vii. 68 A Young Gentleman (of Spruce Natural Parts, and Ingenuous Disposition). 1790 D. Morison 16 Lads brisk an' sprush as bottl'd ale. 1848 5 Aug. 321/2 Ten spruce counter-jumpers, so brisk and so clever, Round Dublin's fair city stole out in the dark. 1897 ‘S. Tytler’ vi. 84 A fine young gentleman like you, let him be ever so braw and sprush. 1912 C. K. Leith & A. T. Leith i. 54 Just now a few of the post managers on the Bay are comparatively young men with spruce, business-like manner. 1954 23 Nov. Sin' we were young, sprush chiels. 2. 1594 T. Nashe iii. sig. Eij Authors..whose names if you aske, hee claps you in the mouth with halfe a dozen spruce titles, neuer til he inuented them heard of by any Christian. 1602 J. Marston Induct. sig. A4v He speakes with a spruce Attick accent of adulterate Spanish. 1658 Sir T. Browne Ep. Ded. sig. A6 He that will illustrate the excellency of this order, may easily fail upon so spruce a Subject. 1720 A. Ramsay 172 When the Pride of sprush new Words are laid. 1778 R. Tickell 2 Maxims, that scorning their old homely dress, Shift from plain proverbs to spruce sentences. 1822 W. Hazlitt xxvi. 224 My sensations are all glossy, spruce, voluptuous, and fine. 1874 T. Hardy I. xxv. 279 He never passed the line which divides the spruce vices from the ugly. 1991 19 Jan. (Sat. Review section) 2/4 Gray has brought the genre bang up to date with his spruce soul voice and svelte guitar tone. 2013 (Nexis) 30 Apr. 34 George Benjamin's conducting is much like the music he composes: spruce, fastidious, bristling with compact energy and clean gestures. the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > pleasing appearance > [adjective] > neat or trim 1598 W. Shakespeare v. i. 13 He is too picked, to spruce, too affected, to od. 1602 N. Breton sig. D2v These youths of the parish, that are so spruse in their apparell, haue little money in their purses. 1609 T. Dekker sig. B1 Euen he that iets vpon the neatest and sprucest leather. 1653 W. Ramesey iv. x. 242 The people..shall endeavour to live neatly and in a comely spruce manner. 1709 R. Steele No. 49. ⁋8 The spruce Nightcap of his Valet. 1796 F. Burney IV. vii. xi. 163 He'll make himself so spruce, he says, we sha'n't know him again. 1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth viii, in 2nd Ser. I. 205 Altogether exhibiting an aspect..unlike the spruce and dapper importance of his ordinary appearance. 1841 C. Dickens ii. xl. 13 Kit had rubbed down the pony and made him as spruce as a race-horse. 1876 T. Hardy I. xx. 209 Making themselves as spruce as bridegrooms of a mild kind, according to the rules of their newly-acquired town experience. 1901 June 111/2 His spruce exterior gave him in the distance a somewhat youthful appearance. 1948 C. Beaton Diary 3 Mar. in (1979) xvi. 204 Wearing my light-weight flannel suit and feeling very spruce, I waited. 2006 (Nexis) 2 Sept. 2 Strahan looked spruce in a sharp new suit and white shirt open at the collar. 1639 T. Fuller v. xxii. 267 Norway (in that age the sprucest of the three Kingdomes of Scandia, and best tricked up with shipping..). 1657 G. Thornley tr. Longus 171 These were encompassed with a spruce, thin hedge. 1706 7 Small need of Art To form spruce Architrave, or Cornice quaint. 1781 W. Hayley ii. 29 The lands Where, spruce in motley pride, his villa stands. 1789 A. Young Jrnl. 5 Dec. in (1792) i. 249 What would a Watson..or a Priestley say, upon a proposal to have their laboratories brushed out clean and spruce? 1856 R. W. Emerson xvi. 284 The Cathedral [of Salisbury], which was finished 600 years ago, has even a spruce and modern air. 1864 C. Dickens (1865) I. i. vi. 46 Many a sprucer public-house. 1945 19 99/1 The spruce little cyclopedias in one, two, three or four volumes..no longer multiply and replenish the earth. 1959 14 Dec. 8/3 The village they visited..must be the sprucest in all India. 2003 4 May (Mag.) 30/3 I picked him up from his grandmother's spruce little cottage. †B. adv.the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > pleasing appearance > [adverb] > neatly or trimly society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > plainness > [adverb] ?1605 J. Davies sig. G4v Ile speake more spruce, yet call a Spade, a Spade. 1780 R. Burns in 105 His bonnet he, a thought ajee, Cock'd spruce when first he clasp'd me. 1824 W. Scott II. ix. 203 Cock up your beaver, and cock it fu' sprush. 1910 June 308/1 I never learned how to dress spruce and talk good grammar. Compounds1606 ii. v. sig. D Wold it not gal a man to see a spruse gartered youth..be a broker for a liuing. 1765 W. Stevenson I. 163 Maids of plump buxom form, and spruce-clad swains. 1899 C. E. Turner tr. A. S. Pushkin 141 Spruce-dressed citizen in boat, Decked out for Sunday trip. 2013 (Nexis) 25 Nov. A suitably spruce-looking man he was, dapper in a neat suit with waistcoat and tie. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2019; most recently modified version published online June 2022). sprucev.1Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: spruce adj.2 Etymology: < spruce adj.2 the world > relative properties > order > put in (proper) order [verb (transitive)] > put in order or tidy the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > pleasing appearance > look well in [verb (transitive)] > make spruce 1594 T. Nashe To Rdr. You shal haue them..spend a whole twelue month in spunging & sprucing them. 1631 F. Lenton sig. E3v Shee is very neatly spruc'd vp, and placed in the frontispice of her shop..to allure some Custome. 1671 tr. J. de Palafox y Mendoza iv. 90 To cut off their hair, which the Chineses love..and take great care to spruce and perfume it. 1748 Lady Luxborough Let. 27 June in (1775) 30 My slovenly garden, which cannot be weeded, nor in the least spruced up, till my hay is all in. 1772 T. Nugent tr. J. F. de Isla I. ii. v. 362 Our Friar Gerund was so..smugged, and spruced, that it was a delight to behold his face. 1810 Sept. 134/1 A city buck, just spruced out for the day. 1853 C. C. Felton (1865) xlv. 336 I do not think you would have known my coat, hardly me, so spruced up were both of us. 1880 Jan. 20/2 After she had spruced her ruffled feathers. 1928 F. C. Mason 13 Sprucing each rumpled gown to look its best. 1990 May 2058/3 As these soundtrack recordings are now very old friends, EMI have wisely decided to spruce them up with digital remastering. 2014 14 Aug. 45/2 The BID is already making positive changes, with improved street cleaning and plans to spruce up shopfronts. 2. the world > relative properties > order > put in order [verb (reflexive)] > put in order or tidy the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > pleasing appearance > look well in [verb (transitive)] > make spruce 1598 J. Florio Nimfarsi, to trim, to smug, to trixie, to decke or spruce himselfe vp as a nimphe. 1632 S. Marmion iii. iv. sig. G4v You..make an idoll of a Looking-glasse, Sprusing your selfe two houres by it, with such Gestures and postures, that a waiting wench Would be asham'd of you. 1671 tr. A. de Courtin ix. 86 For an old man or woman to spruce themselves up like people of fifteen, is as abominably improper, as to make a merry Feast at a Funeral. 1715 T. Burnet x. 122 Being now in Love, he spruced himself up like a Country Bumpkin, on a Revel Day. 1786 Jan. 13/2 I..spruced myself out in as tolerable a suit as is generally the lot of a country curate. 1834 W. Beckford II. ii. 11 Numerous flights of widgeon and Muscovy ducks..were sprucing themselves on the edge of the stream. 1862 G. A. Sala II. v. 138 Miss Puffin..spruced herself up to the extent of putting on..a black silk jacket. 1903 J. Conrad & F. M. Hueffer v. 40 He had spruced himself, but I seemed to see the rags still flutter about him. 1965 O. B. Egbuna ii. 21 (stage direct.) He walks from one corner of the room to another,..toileting and sprucing himself ‘to kill’. 2013 R. Bowen vi. 50 Go and wash your face, there's a good girl, and spruce yourself up. 1656 Duchess of Newcastle ii. 120 She strives to spruce up, to get others to court her. 1709 D. Manley 176 His Father and Grandfather are..profess'd Sparks, and spruce up in Cherry, and other gaudy colour'd silk Stockings. 1746 M. Delany (1861) II. 443 We return home at two and spruce out, dinner at half an hour after two. 1834 C. A. Davis ii. 27 To-night we're goin to a quiltin at Uncle Josh's. Miss Willoby..is sprucin up for it. 1869 H. B. Stowe xvii. 192 All of a sudden, Dench..seemed to kind o' spruce up and have a deal o' money to spend. 1922 W. Cather xiii. 261 Why, he used to ask himself, wouldn't Claude ‘spruce up and be somebody?’ 2008 T. Letts i. i. 26 You're a pretty enough girl, you could get a decent man if you spruced up. A bit, that's all I'm saying. the mind > attention and judgement > good taste > pleasing fitness > make pleasingly fit [verb (intransitive)] > specifically of persons 1598 J. Florio Garbeggiare, to spruce it, to be comely. 1611 R. Cotgrave Faire la fringue, to iet, brag, spruce it, wantonnize it. 1794 J. Walters To spruce it, Chwarae'r propryn; ymbingcio, ymbluo. See to Plume. Derivatives 1606 22 Now she talks of hir sprus'd husband. 1763 M. Minifie & S. Gunning IV. 93 You will see your Hamilton transformed into the smartest valet of the age, a glaring livery, spruced hair, [etc.]. 1853 B. St. John ix. 109 His palace..somewhat resembling a spruced-up and whitewashed factory. 1913 Oct. 43/2 The spruced up, high-browed fellow who poses as an expert in quick sales. 2004 26 June (State ed.) p38/4 A spruced-up home will sell more quickly than a messy one. 1657 T. Reeve 82 Is this a time for tersing, and sprusing, and flaunting? 1753 R. P. I. xx. 286 A litttle sprucing would have rendered him more than lightly agreeable. 1883 15 Nov. 472/3 Bright and early, Archie began the ‘sprucing-up’ of the old buggy. 1919 27 Aug. 643/2 For the most part the ‘sprucing up’ in that particular Iowa town is still going on. 2002 7 Nov. 6/3 The sprucing up is one of the final steps ending a two-year refurbishment of the suspension bridge. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022). sprucev.2Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps a specific sense development of spruce v.1, although perhaps compare English regional (chiefly northern) and Scots sprose to brag (18th cent.). British slang (originally Military). Now rare or regional. the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > deceive [verb (intransitive)] the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > evasive deception, shiftiness > act evasively [verb (intransitive)] the world > action or operation > inaction > not doing > abstaining or refraining from action > abstain or refrain from action [verb (intransitive)] > avoid > avoid duty, work, or exertion 1916 P. MacGill xiv. 181 ‘My God! there's a transport wagon going along the road!’ ‘Blimey! you're sprucing,’ said Bill. 1917 W. Muir xiv. 230 To spruce is to dodge duty or to deceive. A man who contrived to slip out of the ranks of a squad when they were performing some distasteful task would be said to ‘spruce off’. 1925 E. Fraser & J. Gibbons 267 Spruce.., to lie. To deceive. 1951 A. Baron 222 Write your own cheque. It's yours for the asking..Go on! I ain't sprucing. 1967 G. M. Wilson vi. 71 Dr. Meunier's no fool, he'd have known if she was sprucing..Malingering. Faking tummy trouble. 1970 A. Hunter xiii. 166 The coin is damning. He can't spruce his way round that. the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > deceive [verb (transitive)] 1917 J. Martin Diary 18 Aug. in (2010) 97 I received a parcel from Elsie containing my wrist watch for which I am thankful as Sgt Twycross has spruced me out of the one I won. 1969 H. Carvic ix. 172 Them two old tarts at the Nut House, they spruced you proper. 1978 26 May 16 A kipper..by inference, should cost more than the untreated fish. Who is sprucing whom? Derivatives the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > disregard for truth, falsehood > fabrication of statement or story > a false or foolish tale > [noun] > of an exaggerated kind > one who tells the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > trickery, playing jokes > [noun] > practitioner > who bluffs 1917 W. Muir xiv. 230 He would be denounced as a ‘sprucer’ if he managed to arrive late for his meal and yet, by a trick, to secure a front place in the waiting queue at the canteen. 1930 P. MacDonald ix. 194 This is where the G.D. begins to show up for the sprucer that he is. 1968 25 Jan. 111/2 I suspect Peter Eckersley was pulling Cutforth's leg. He was a good ‘sprucer’, as they used to say in Swadlincote. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022). <  adj.1n.1378 adj.2adv.1590 v.11594v.21916 |
