spruce 
5868 
For masts, &c., those [firs] of Prussia which we call gpruce-fir. or from the essence of spruce, boil- 
mce and Norway are the best. Evelyn, Sylva, I. xxii. 2. ed ^^ g or mo l a8ses> an d fermented with 
F. 
spruce 
Black spruce, Picea niyra, a species of spruce growing 
00 or 60 feet high, found through liritish America, the 
northern United States, and in the Alleghanies to North 
Carolina. Its light soft wood is largely made into lumber, 
and is used in construction, in ship-building, for piles, etc. miustuj-uum; 
An essence of spruce is obtained from its branches, used onriirp HiiflF CsnroVdufl it 
in making spruce-beer. - Blue spruce. Same as white s P r11 ,,<'., 
spruce (c).- Double spruce, the black spruce. -Douglas spruce-trees, bee (luff, 6. 
sugar or molasses, 
veast. There are two kinds, the brown and the white, 
of which the latter is considered the better, us being made 
with white sugar instead of molasses. Spruce-beer is an 
agreeable and wholesome beverage, and is useful as an 
antiscorbutic. 
Duff formed by 
,U. S.] 
, 
spruce, Pseudotsuga Douylasii. See Pseudotmga, and Ore- 
gon pine (under pmel). Essence of spruce, a thick li- 
quid with a bitterish acidulous astringent taste, obtained 
by boiling and evaporation from the young branches of 
the Norway spruce, the Mack spruce, and perhaps other 
The soil . . . consisted of from two to four feet of what 
is known among the woodsmen of northern New York as 
spruce-duff, which is composed of rotten spruce-trees, 
cones, needles, etc. Pop. Sci. Mo., XIII. 289. 
' 
e orway spruce, e ac spruce, an peraps oer .. ,-. * r i- i i *. 
species. It is used in making spruce-beer. -Hemlock SprUCC-fir (spros'fer), n. [A partial translation 
and accommodation (as if 'fir of Spruce or 
spruce. See hemlock-spruce. Himalayan or Indian 
spruce, Picea Morinda, of the temperate Himalayas 
and Afghanistan, a tree 150 feet high, affording a pale 
straight-grained timber, durable only under shelter. 
New Zealand spruce, the imou-pine, or red pine, Dac- 
rydium cupressinum, a beautiful tree with long weeping 
branches. From 
the young growth 
Captain Cook made 
an antiscorbutic 
spruce - beer. See 
inunt-pine. Nor- 
way spruce, Picea 
excelsa, a spruce of 
middle and northern 
Europe and north- 
ern Asia. It attains 
a height of 150 feet, 
forms extensive for- 
ests, endures severe 
cold, and on moun- 
tains reaches an ele- 
vation of 4,500 feet. 
Its tough and elastic 
wood is the white 
deal of Europe, ex- 
cellent for building, 
furniture, masts, 
spars, etc. It is the 
source of Burgundy 
pitch. See pitch". 
Oil of spruce, oil 
of hemlock. Red 
spruce, a stunt- 
ed variety (P. ru- 
bra) of the black 
spruce, growing in 
Branchlet, 
ith Cone, of Norway Spruce 
'"---- txcelsa). 
(ft 
Prussia, < Spruce, or Pruce, Prussia, + fir* : see 
spruce 3 , and the quot.) of the G. sprossen-ficltte, 
the spruce-pine or -fir, whose sprouts furnish 
the beer called spruce-beer, < sprossen, pi. of 
spross, a sprout, + f elite, pine, fir. Cf. spruce- 
beer.] Same as spruce 3 : applied somewhat spe- 
cifically to the Norway spruce. 
spruce-grouse (sproVgrous), . The Canada 
grouse. See grouse, and cut under Canace. 
spruce-gum (sprds'gum), . A resinous exuda- 
tion from the balsam-fir, Abies balsamea, used 
as a masticatory. 
spruce-leathert (sproVleTH'er), n. Same as 
spruce* . 
sprucely (spros'li), adv. In a spruce manner ; 
smartly ; trimly ; smugly. 
spruceness (sproVnes), n. The state or char- 
acter of being spruce ; smartness of appearance 
or dress. 
spruce-ocher (spros'o'ker), . [Appar.< Spruce , 
Prussia (see spruce*), + ocher.] Brown or yel- 
low oeher. 
spruce-partridge (spr6s'par'trij),n. The spot- 
ted or Canada grouse, Canace or Dendragapus 
canadensis : so called in New England, Canada, 
etc., in distinction from the ruffed grouse, there 
known as the partridge, and because the bird is 
highly characteristic of the coniferous woods. 
See cut under Canace. 
spruce-pine (spros'pin), n. Bee pine*. 
sprucify (sprO'si-fi), r. t. ; pret. and pp. spruci- 
fied, ppr. sprucifying. [< spruce' 2 + -i-fy.] To 
make spruce or fine ; smarten. Urqu- 
hart, tr. of Rabelais, iii. 37. (Dories.) 
Spruce bud-worm, the larva of a tortricid moth, as J TIT 
.Tortrixfumiferana, which eats the end-buds of the spruce SPrUe 1 (spro), n. [Origin obscure.] l.In 
in northeastern parts of the United States, especially in casting metal, one of the passages lead- 
ing from the "skimming-gate" to the 
mold; also, the metal which fills the 
sprue or sprue-gate after solidification: 
, same as dead-head, 1 (a). Also called sprue- 
the United states. Spruce leaf-hopper, an oblong gate. 2. A piece of metal or wood used by a 
ture^spru^'eedk^ molder in making the ingate through the sand. 
States. Spruce plume-moth, Oxyptilus nigrociliatus. %. H. Knight. 
Its larva feeds on spruce, and it is the only member of Sprue J . n. See sprew. 
the PUrophoridif known to infest any conifer.- Spruce sprue-hole (spro'hol), H. In casting metal, the 
saw-fly, a common saw-fly, Lophyrus abvetts, whose pale- *,, i ne . ar p or noiir-ino r,nlp 
green larvse defoliate spruce, flr, pine, and cedar in the ! lte > ? r P l 
United States, but especially spruce. Spruce timber- sprug 1 (sprug), v. ; pret. and pp. sprugged, ppr. 
beetle, Xyloterus biviUatus, the most injurious of sev- spruggiiig. [Cf. sprag 3 , sprack.] I. trans. To 
eral scolytids which attack the spruce in the United make smart. 
furgw a?Mn?^pS^g ( ma^an"r ) an1 i wr^ s H - <'"* To dress neatly: generally with 
pinifex. Tldelan'd spruce, Picea Sitchensis, a spruce u l>- [Prov. Eng.] 
found from Alaska to California near the coast, best de- spmg 2 (sprug), H. [Cf . snrifl 2 , svronq, and pnua, 
veloped near the mouth of the Columbia river, where for 50 a srTarrow origin nncm-rn in 1 r 
miles in each direction it forms a foresMielt 10 or 15 miles p' , ?%*> 
wide. It grows from 140 to 180 feet high, and furnishes an ~~~*~ 'Omesncus. Lcotcn and i 
important light, soft, and straight-grained timber, large- Sprung (sprung). 1. Preterit and 
ly manufactured into lumber, and used for construction, pie of spring. 2. Tipsy; drunk. 
timber-tree ofsubarctUi America extendineTntoliortbern J? i h . e Tave - Ex-Corporal Whiston with his friends sal- 
New England, and at its best in' northern Montana. Its d from the 8tore weU e P run ff- s - Jud ^. Margaret, i. 13. 
timber in commerce is not distinguished from that of the spninkt, [Origin obscure. Cf. svrunt 2 .] A 
black spruce. Also Kingle spruce, (b) P. Engelmanni, the concubine (ChHiR- a awfinthpnrt 
most valuable timber-tree of the central Rocky Mountain ' ' 8weetn eart. 
,!., ...i, .-.. 1. wjth fryajg ftnd m,,,,]^ an( j their fine <rprwn*s, 
I make my chief est prey. 
The King's Disguise (Child's Ballads, V. 378). 
sprunny (sprun'i), a. and n. [Cf. sprunt 2 .] I. 
._Neat; spruce. Halliwell. [Prov. Eng.] 
spuilzie 
St. Anything short and not easily bent, as a 
stiff curl. 
"This gprunt its pertness sure will lose 
"When laid," said he, "to soak in ooze." 
Conyreue, An Impossible Thing. 
sprunt 2 t (sprunt), a. [Cf. ME. sprind, < AS. 
x/iriitd, agile; cf. also sprunt*.] Active; vig- 
orous; strong; lively; brisk. . Phillips, 1706. 
spruntlyt (.sprunt'li), adc. 1. Vigorously; 
youthfully; like a young man. Imp. Diet. 2. 
Neatly; gaily; bravely. 
How do I look to-day? am I not drest 
SpnuMij ~f B. Joiaon, Devil is an Ass, iv. 1. 
sprusadot, ". [< spruce, with Spanish-seeming 
term. -aih>.~\ A spruce fellow; a dandy. 
The answer of thatsprusado to a judge in this Kingdom, 
a rigid censor of men's habits ; who, seeing a neat finical 
divine come before him in a cloak lined through with 
plush, encountered him. 
Comm. on Chaucer, p. 19 (Todd's Johnson), 1665. 
sprush (sprush), o. and r. A Scotch form of 
swamps. Single 
spruce. Same as 
while spruce (a). 
Spruce bud-louse, an aphid of the subfamily Cherme- 
siiise, Adelgeg abieticolens, which deforms the end-shoots 
of the spruce In the United States, producing large swell- 
ings sometimes mistaken for the natural cones. In Eu- 
rope A. coccineus and A. strobilobius have the same habit. 
Maine. Other spruce bud-worms are the reddish-yellow, 
Steganoptycha ratzebur f riana ; the black-headed, Term 
variaiia; and the red, Gelechia obliquistrigetta. Spruce 
cone-Worm, the larva of a phycid moth, Pinipestis retii- 
culella, which bores the fresh young cones of spruces in 
spruttle (sprut'l), v. t. [Also sprittle; freq. of 
sprout: see sprout, and cf. spnrtle.'] To spurt; 
sprinkle. [Prov. Eng.] 
spry (spri), a. [Also obs*. or dial, sprey ; <. Sw. 
dial, sprygg, very active, skittish ; akin to Sw. 
dial. sj>rag, sprdk, spirited, mettlesome: see 
sprack.~\ Active, as in leaping or running; 
nimble; vigorous; lively. [Prov. Eng. and 
TJ. S.] 
The lady liked our Margaret very well. "She was so 
feat, and spry, and knowin', and good-natered," she said, 
" she could be made of some use to somebody." 
& Judd, Margaret, i. 4. 
spt. An abbreviation of spiritus, spirit. 
spud (spud), . [< ME. spudde, knife ; perhaps 
< Dan. spyd, a spear: see spift. Prob. not con- 
nected with spadei.] 1. A stout knife or dag- 
ger. 
The one within the lists of the amphitheatre . . . with 
a f iiu,l or dagger was wounded almost to death. 
Holland, tr. of Ammianus Marcellinus (lG09). t (Narei.) 
2. A small spade, or a spade having a small 
blade, with a handle of any length; a small 
cutting-blade fixed in the axis of its handle, 
somewhat like a chisel with a very long han- 
dle, for cutting the roots of weeds without 
stooping. 
Every day, when I walk in my own little literary gar- 
den-plot, I spy some [weeds], and should like to have a 
spud, and root them out. Thackeray, lie Finibus. 
3. A spade-shaped tool for recovering lost or 
broken tools in a tube-well. E. H. Knight. 
4. A nail driven into the timbers of a drift or 
shaft, or fastened in some other way, so as to 
mark a surveying-station. [Pennsylvania an- 
thracite region.] 5. Any short and thick 
thing: usually in contempt. Specifically (a) A 
piece of dough boiled in fat. Imp. Diet, (b) A potato. 
[Provincial.] (c) A baby's hand. [Prov. Eng. and U. 8.] 
(d) A short, dwarfish person. Hattiwett. [Prov. Eng.] 
spud (spud), r. t. ; pret. and pp. spudded, ppr. 
spudding. [</>wrf, n.] 1. To remove by means 
of a spud : often with up or out. 
At half-past one lunch o Cambridge cream cheese; 
hen a ride over hill and dale; '" 
weeds from the grass. 
past partici- 
fColloq 1 
region, where it forms extensive forests. Its wood is of a 
white or pale yellow color, light and soft, in Colorado af- 
fording lumber, fuel, and charcoal. The bark is rich in 
Also called blue spruce, Colorado blue spruce. Sargent 
spruce 4 (spros), H. An abbreviation of spruce- 
leer. [Colloq.j 
A sweetheart. 
H. . ; pi. sprunnies (-iz). 
Halliicell. [Prov. Eng.] 
"Come, friend," said Hawk-eye, drawing oul SJl? re ',J 1 / oo<J Satan lay8 her on like thee - 
beneath a cover of leaves, . -try a Tittle Sruce Cm Whipp'd to some purpose will thy sprunny be. 
. . . quicken the life in your bosom." CMins - Miscellanies (1762), p. ill. 
J.F. Cooper, Last of Mohicans, vi. sprunt 1 (sprunt), v. i._ [A var. of sprent: see 
eer o spruce 
or spruce-fir (< spruce^ + bcerl), or as if Spruce 
beer, i. e. 'beer of Spruce' or Prussia (< Spruce, 
or Pruce, Prussia (see spruce*), + beer*)) of G 
1 
sprenl*, sprint.] 1. To spring up; germinate. 
2. To spring forward or outward. 
spruce-beer (spros'ber), . [A partial transla- 
tion and accommodation (as if 'beer of spruce 
See ; this sweet simpering babe, 
Dear image of thyself ; see ! how it spruntt 
With joy at thy approach ! 
Somenaie, Hobbinol, iii. 393. 
To sprunt UP, to bristle up ; show sudden resentment, 
v CT f " wiuiv/i* Dp* v/^-m, N [Colloq US] 
mrossen,?!. of spross, a sprout (= E. sprot), + sprunt 1 (sprunt), n. l<sitrunfl,v. Cf. sprint.] 
^r- gprotl andfttcrl.] A beer It. A leap; a spring; a convulsive struggle. 
rtf l A - ' n g; a convusve srugge 
made from the leaves and small branches of the - 2. A steep ascent in a road. [Prov. Eng] - 
then a ride over hill and dale ; then spudding up some 
weeds from the grass. 
E. Fitzgerald, quoted in The Academy, Aug. 8, 1889, p. 63. 
2. To drill (a hole) by spudding (which see, 
below). 
A 12 inch hole is usually drilled or spudded down to the 
rock. Sci. Amer., N. 8., LV. 116. 
spudding (spud'ing), n. [Verbal n. of spud, i.] 
In oil-well drilling, a method of handling the 
rope and tools by which the first fifty or sixty 
feet of an oil-well are bored by the aid of the 
bull-wheel, the depth not being sufficient to 
allow of the use of the working-beam for that 
purpose. 
spuddle (spud'l), t'. i. ; pret. and pp. spuddled, 
ppr. spuddling. [Freq. of spud.'] 1. To dig; 
grub. 
Hee grubs and spuddles for his prey in muddy holes and 
obscure cavernes. John Taylor, Works (1(130). (.Yores.) 
2. To move about; do any trifling matter with 
an air of business. Balliu-ell. [Prov. Eng.] 
spuddy(spud'i),a. [<spud + -y*.'] Short and fat. 
They rest their spuddy hands on their knees, and shake 
all over like jelly when they laugh. 
W. W. Story, Koba di Roma, rv. 
spue, i'. An old spelling of spew: retained in 
modern copies of the authorized version of the 
Bible. 
spuilzie, spulzie (spiil'ye), n. [Better written 
xpulye, gpulyie: Sc. forms of spoil.] Spoil; 
booty ; in Scots law, the taking away of mova- 
ble goods in the possession of another, against 
