/ˈsiːdər/
[noun] A large, tall evergreen tree with a strong, sweet-smelling wood that is often used in building furniture and storage chests. Cedar trees are found across the Mediterranean region, the Middle East, and parts of North America.
Cedar was so sacred in ancient Lebanon that its trees became the symbol of an entire nation — and still appear on Lebanon's flag today.
The word 'cedar' carries within it thousands of years of human history, stretching back to the ancient forests of the Middle East where these towering, fragrant trees were among the most prized materials in the ancient world. The English word comes from Old French 'cedre', which was borrowed from Latin 'cedrus'. The Latin form came from Greek 'kedros', a word the Greeks used for both the true cedar and certain juniper trees, reflecting how early cultures often grouped similar-smelling conifers under one name. The precise pre-Greek origin of 'kedros' is uncertain, but many scholars believe it traces back to a Semitic root, possibly related to Hebrew 'erez' or a comparable Phoenician word for the great cedars of Lebanon.
The Cedar of Lebanon — 'Cedrus libani' — was one of the most valuable natural resources of the ancient world. Phoenician traders, who controlled the coastal cities of modern-day Lebanon, built powerful fleets from cedar wood, and sold it across the Mediterranean. The ancient Egyptians imported cedar timber and oil for building temples, making furniture, and even preparing mummies — cedar oil was used in the embalming process because of its natural preserving qualities. The Bible mentions cedar extensively; King Solomon famously used cedar from Lebanon to build his great temple in Jerusalem, and the fragrant wood came to represent strength, eternity, and divine favour throughout ancient religious texts.
When Greek 'kedros' passed into Latin as 'cedrus', the Romans applied it broadly to strong-smelling trees used in construction and preservation. The Romans knew that cedar chests kept moths and insects away from stored clothing and documents — a use that continues to this day. Latin 'cedrus' then moved into Old French as 'cedre', carried along by the spread of Christianity and the texts of the Bible, where cedar appeared again and again as a noble, holy tree. From Old French, Middle English borrowed it as 'cedre' in the 14th century, and the spelling gradually settled into the modern form 'cedar' by the 16th century.
Interestingly, the word 'cedar' has been applied quite loosely throughout history. When European settlers arrived in North America, they encountered trees that smelled similar to the cedars they knew from the Old World, and they promptly called them cedars too — even though species like the Eastern Red Cedar are actually junipers, not true cedars at all. This habit of naming new plants after familiar old ones meant that 'cedar' spread across the Americas as a kind of catch-all term for any aromatic, rot-resistant conifer. The red cedar wood used to make pencils — the classic yellow pencil — is one of the most recognisable products of this naming tradition.
Today, 'cedar' retains much of the warmth and dignity it has always carried. The smell of cedar wood still evokes something ancient and protective — closets lined with cedar planks, old hope chests, mountain air. Lebanon's national flag bears a green cedar tree at its centre, a direct echo of the ancient fame of those forests. In this small, everyday English word, then, we carry forward a thread connecting us to Phoenician shipbuilders, Egyptian embalmers, the temple of Solomon, Roman scribes, and medieval French monks — all of whom looked at the same fragrant, enduring tree and found it worthy of the highest reverence.