noun
hemlock
A coniferous tree with short needles and small cones.
The hemlock beside the trail has short needles and small cones.
Etymology
The tree borrowed the flowering plant’s name through a perceived resemblance in the smell of crushed foliage. The shared name does not imply close botanical relationship.
More examples
- Several hemlocks shade the creek throughout the year.
- We plant a hemlock in a cool, shady corner.
- Small cones hang from the hemlock's slender branches.
Forms
hemlock · hemlocks
Similar words
- spruce
- Has stiff, pointed needles rather than hemlock's short, flat needles.
- fir
- Bears upright cones rather than hanging cones like a hemlock.