arbor

1 of 3

noun (1)

ar·​bor ˈär-bər 

: a shelter of vines or branches or of latticework covered with climbing shrubs or vines

Illustration of arbor

• ¹arbor

arbor

2 of 3

noun (2)

1

: a spindle or axle of a wheel

2

: a main shaft or beam

3

: a shaft on which a revolving cutting tool is mounted

4

: a spindle on a cutting machine that holds the work to be cut

arbor-

3 of 3

combining form

variants or arbori-

: tree

arboriculture

Examples of arbor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

There’s a pergola, or grape arbor, near the water that serves as a front-row spot for watching sunsets over the river. —John Turton, Sacbee.com, 13 Sep. 2025

Don’t let vines climb trees and shrubs; train them to arbors and trellises. 61. —Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 July 2025

But this woody vine can escape the arbor and head up a tree faster than a squirrel with a dachshund on its trail. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 28 June 2025

Shop the three-pack set now for $33 at Amazon, and check out more trellises, arbors, and plant stakes for the rest of your garden, below. —Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English erber, herber garden, from Anglo-French, from herbe herb, grass

Noun (2)

Latin, tree, shaft

Combining form

Latin arbor

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1659, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for arbor

• arbour
• harbor
• harbour

Kids Definition

arbor

noun

ar·​bor

ˈär-bər

: a shelter of vines or branches or a structure of crossed wood or metal strips covered with climbing shrubs or vines

Medical Definition

arbor

noun

ar·​bor ˈär-bər 

: a branching anatomical structure resembling a tree