evergreen

Everyday

1. An evergreen tree or plant keeps green leaves all year round. tree →
2. (noun) An evergreen is a tree or bush like a pine, holly or fir. tree →
3. (informal) Evergreen describes something that stays popular for a long time: an evergreen song. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons trees are evergreen or deciduous (they lose their leaves in autumn). Pines, firs and spruces have needles and are evergreen; most eucalyptus trees in Australia are evergreen too. In everyday life Christmas trees are evergreens.

Examples

• Pine trees are evergreen. tree →
• Holly is an evergreen bush with prickly leaves. tree →
• Deciduous trees lose their leaves, but evergreens keep theirs. tree →
• The forest stayed green even in winter because of the evergreens. tree →
• That old song is an evergreen. tree →
• Eucalyptus trees are evergreen. tree →
• He sorrowfully crowned his head with its leaves, and declared, that in memory of his love, it should henceforth remain evergreen, and be held sacred to him. tree →

Note

Written as one word. Opposite: deciduous. Myth: evergreens never lose leaves — they do, a few at a time, not all at once.