pitch pine

noun

1
: any of several pines that yield pitch
especially : a 3-leaved pine (Pinus rigida) of eastern North America
2
: the wood of a pitch pine

Examples of pitch pine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The burn will interrupt the growth of white pine and other species in direct competition with pitch pine and other vegetation. Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2024 Over the past century, however, land managers have suppressed natural fire to the detriment of such iconic species as the pitch pine, which evolved to prosper in droughty, acidic and fire-prone conditions. Jane Braxton Little, Scientific American, 23 Aug. 2023 Faux and other military officials have proposed clearing thousands of pitch pine and scrub oak trees to make way for a new range for heavier weapons on the 15,000-acre base on the Upper Cape, one of only a few in Massachusetts where soldiers can drill with assault rifles and heavier weapons. BostonGlobe.com, 4 June 2021 The rest chimed in then, proffering the ways and hows of oyster-eating—this, without any of us noting the sombre white man who had emerged from the thicket of pitch pine. David Wright Faladé, The New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2020 Dollops of snow balance on the tops scraggly oaks and boughs of pitch pine. Peter Marteka, courant.com, 6 Dec. 2019 Much of the trail winds past huge white pines and pitch pine. Peter Marteka, courant.com, 21 June 2019 Areas most at risk of southern pine beetle infestation are pitch pine barrens, which are scattered around the Northeast including Long Island and Albany in New York and Cape Cod in Massachusetts. Washington Post, 10 June 2018 The southern pine beetle’s primary targets are pitch pines, red pines and jack pines. Washington Post, 10 June 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1662, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pitch pine was in 1662

Dictionary Entries Near pitch pine

Cite this Entry

“Pitch pine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pitch%20pine. Accessed 27 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on pitch pine

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!