spruceSPRUCE, a. Nice; trim; neat without elegance or dignity; formerly applied to things with a serious meaning; now applied to persons only. SPRUCE, v.t. To trim; to dress with great neatness. SPRUCE, v.i. To dress ones self with affected neatness. SPRUCE, n. The fir-tree; a name given to a species of evergreen, the Pinus nigra, which is used in families to give flavor to beer. It is used by way of decoction, or in the essence. |