deodar means cedrus deodara, a type of cedar tree native to the western Himalayas.
deodar is pronounced /ˈdiːəʊdɑː/.
Why “deodar” is a great word
A tall cedar tree (Cedrus deodara) native to the western Himalayas, valued for its durable, fragrant wood. From colloquial Hindustani دیودار / देओदार (deodār), from Sanskrit देवदारु (deva-dāru, literally 'divine tree' or 'timber of the gods'), first attested in English 1795–1805. Unlike the general term 'cedar,' which sweeps across continents and species, or 'pine,' which denotes softer-wooded trees with bundled needles, deodar is geographically exact: it is the Himalayan cedar alone, with its needles in rosettes and its timber resinous enough to outlast empires. It is the scent of sun-warmed resin on thin mountain air, the copper-fissured trunk glimpsed through monsoon mist, and the deep, resonant groan of wind through a high, solitary stand—the gods' own lumber, carrying its quiet divinity into the profane world of human use.
Etymology
Borrowed from colloquial Hindustani دیودار (dyodār) / देओदार (deodār), from دیودار (dyodār) / देवदार (devdār), from Sanskrit देवदारु (deva-dāru, literally “divine tree”).
noun
- Cedrus deodara, a type of cedar tree native to the western Himalayas.e.g.“There were beautifully arranged tea-tables under the deodars at Annandale, where the Grand Stand is now; […]”
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