Meanings
arbor1
plural arbors · plural arbores · alternative arbour
- A shady sitting place or pergola usually in a park or garden, surrounded by climbing shrubs, vines or other vegetation.
Our tacit treaty with Miss Maudie was that we could play on her lawn, eat her scuppernongs if we didn’t jump on the arbor, and explore her vast back lot,
1960 July 11, Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC1 more example
Children swung from the branches of the banyan tree, teenagers climbed into the arbours of orchids and gourds into which the abandoned cars had been transformed.
1979, J.G. Ballard, The Unlimited Dream Company, chapter 24 - A grove of trees.
arbor2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounany of various rotating shafts that serve as axes for larger rotating parts
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
arbor · noun
- Latinarbor“tree”
- Late Latinherbārium
- Latinherba“grass, herb”
- Old Frencherbier“field, meadow, kitchen garden”
- Middle Englisharbour
- Englisharbor
From Middle English arbour, erbour, from Old French erbier (“field, meadow, kitchen garden”), from erbe (“grass, herb”), from Latin herba (“grass, herb”) (English herb). (Compare Late Latin herbārium, although erbier is possibly an independent formation.) The spelling was influenced by Latin arbor (“tree”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →arbor · noun
- Latinarbor“tree”
- Frencharbre“tree, axis”
- Englisharbor
Borrowed from French arbre (“tree, axis”), spelling influenced by Latin arbor (“tree”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian беседка, горичка
- беседка (besedka)a shady place for sitting
- горичка (gorička)a grove of trees
- шпиндел (špindel)axis or shaft on a lathe
- вал (val)axis or shaft on a lathe
- дорник (dornik)bar for supporting cutting tools
- ос (os)spindle of a wheel
Czech altán, besídka
- altána shady place for sitting
- besídkaa shady place for sitting
- hřídelaxis or shaft on a lathe
- hřídelspindle of a wheel
- osaspindle of a wheel
Esperanto laŭbo, arbareto
- laŭboa shady place for sitting
- arbaretoa grove of trees
Finnish vilpola, metsikkö
- vilpolaa shady place for sitting
- metsikköa grove of trees
- akseliaxis or shaft on a lathe
- tuurnabar for supporting cutting tools
- kehräinspindle of a wheel
German Laube, Gartenlaube
- Laubea shady place for sitting
- Gartenlaubea shady place for sitting
- Haina grove of trees
- Gehölza grove of trees
- Baumgruppea grove of trees
- Wäldchena grove of trees
- Haga grove of trees
- Tannichta grove of trees
- Alleea grove of trees
- Spindelaxis or shaft on a lathe
- Dornaxis or shaft on a lathe
- Schaftaxis or shaft on a lathe
- Halterbar for supporting cutting tools
- Aufsteckhalterbar for supporting cutting tools
- Balkenbar for supporting cutting tools
- Holmbar for supporting cutting tools
- Stahlhalterbar for supporting cutting tools
- Achsespindle of a wheel
- Wellespindle of a wheel
- Spindelspindle of a wheel
Hindi निकुंज, निकुंज
- निकुंज (nikuñj)a shady place for sitting
- निकुंज (nikuñj)a grove of trees
Indonesian arbor
- arbora shady place for sitting
Irish lúibín coille
- lúibín coillea grove of trees
Italian pergolato, mandrino
- pergolatoa shady place for sitting
- mandrinoaxis or shaft on a lathe
Latin trichila, triclea
- trichilaa shady place for sitting
- tricleaa shady place for sitting
Norwegian Bokmål spindel
- spindelaxis or shaft on a lathe
Portuguese pérgola, caramanchão
- pérgolaa shady place for sitting
- caramanchãoa shady place for sitting
- renquea grove of trees
- mandrilaxis or shaft on a lathe
Russian бесе́дка, ро́ща
- бесе́дка (besédka)a shady place for sitting
- ро́ща (róšča)a grove of trees
- шпи́ндель (špíndelʹ)axis or shaft on a lathe
- опра́вка (oprávka)bar for supporting cutting tools
- ось (osʹ)spindle of a wheel
Spanish cenador, pérgola
- cenadora shady place for sitting
- pérgolaa shady place for sitting
Swedish berså
- bersåa shady place for sitting
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with arbor
Anagrams
Cite this entry
arbor. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/arbor
“arbor.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/arbor. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “arbor,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/arbor.
Source: arbor on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.