sequoia
pronunciation
How to pronounce sequoia in British English:
UK [sɪˈkwɔɪə]
How to pronounce sequoia in American English:
US [sɪˈkwɔɪə]
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- Noun:
- either of two huge coniferous California trees that reach a height of 300 feet; sometimes placed in the Taxodiaceae
Word Origin
- sequoia (n.)
- large American coniferous tree, 1857, from Modern Latin tree genus name given 1847 by Austrian botanist Stephan Endlicher (1804-1849), originally to a different tree, the coast redwood, apparently in honor of Sequoya (a.k.a. George Guess, 1760-1843), Cherokee man who invented a system of writing for his people's language, whose name is from Cherokee (Iroquoian) Sikwayi, a word of unknown etymology. Endlicher was a specialist in conifers, and he also was a philologist. But he never gave an etymology of this name and a search of his papers discovered no mention of Sequoya or the Cherokee writing system, and the connection is an assumption that some botanists have challenged, though no better candidate for a source has yet been found. The giant sequoia was unseen by Europeans until 1833 and unknown to scientists until 1852. In May 1855, a pair of American botanists named it Taxodium giganteum, but that name was deemed inappropriate for several scientific reasons. Meanwhile, English botanist John Lindley, who had never been to California, in 1853 named it Wellingtonia in honor of the Duke of Wellington. "As high as Wellington towers above his contemporaries, as high towers this California tree above the forest surrounding it. Therefore, it shall bear for all time to come the name Wellingtonia gigantea." This sat poorly with the Americans, and much ink was spilled until a French botanist provided the solution by transferring Endlicher's name. In Britain still popularly called Wellingtonia.
Example
- 1. Back at livermore the first pieces of sequoia have started to arrive .
- 2. It is the seventh ipo by a chinese company backed by sequoia in the past 18 months .
- 3. Increasing ozone pollution is causing tissue damage to the massive giant sequoia trees in the park .
- 4. Built by ibm and code-named sequoia it 's scheduled to be completed by the end of 2012 .
- 5. Sequoia will focus on its investment in sks but anticipates others will enter the fray .