[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

spruce \spruce\ sprudds, n. oe. spruce or pruse, prussia,
   prussian. so named because it was first known as a native of
   prussia, or because its sprouts were used for making, spruce
   beer. cf. spruce beer, below, spruce, a.
   1. bot. any coniferous tree of the genus picea, as the
      norway spruce picea excelsa, and the white and black
      spruces of america picea alba and picea nigra,
      besides several others in the far northwest. see picea.
      1913 webster

   2. the wood or timber of the spruce tree.
      1913 webster

   3. prussia leather; pruce. obs.
      1913 webster

            spruce, a sort of leather corruptly so called for
            prussia leather.                      --e. phillips.
      1913 webster

   douglas spruce bot., a valuable timber tree pseudotsuga
      douglasii of northwestern america.

   essence of spruce, a thick, dark-colored, bitterish, and
      acidulous liquid made by evaporating a decoction of the
      young branches of spruce.

   hemlock spruce bot., a graceful coniferous tree tsuga
      canadensis of north america. its timber is valuable, and
      the bark is largely used in tanning leather.

   spruce beer. g. sprossenbier; sprosse sprout, shoot akin
      to e. sprout, n. + bier beer. the word was changed into
      spruce beer because the beer came from prussia oe.
      spruce, or because it was made from the sprouts of the
      spruce. see sprout, n., beer, and cf. spruce, n. a
      kind of beer which is tinctured or flavored with spruce,
      either by means of the extract or by decoction.

   spruce grouse. zool. same as spruce partridge, below.
      

   spruce leather. see spruce, n., 3.

   spruce partridge zool., a handsome american grouse
      dendragapus canadensis found in canada and the
      northern united states; -- called also canada grouse.
      1913 webster
see also:
spruce picea picea excelsa picea alba picea nigra douglas spruce 
pseudotsuga douglasii essence of spruce hemlock spruce tsuga canadensis spruce beer 
sprout beer spruce grouse spruce partridge spruce leather 
dendragapus canadensis canada grouse 

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Canada Goose, definition of term: Canada Goose
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Ruffed Grouse >> R Words
Ruffed Grouse, definition of term: Ruffed Grouse
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