Etymologically
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evergreen

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈɛvɚɡɹin/[1]
  • UK: /ˈɛvəɡɹiːn/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English ever + green.[2][3][4][5][6] The OED compares the earlier noun sengreen, the houseleek, from Old English singrēne of the same sense, and the later German immergrün (17th century).[2] In early modern English ever often modified green as a phrase, as in the “Grete Herball” of 1526, where a plant is said to be “euer grene”.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of a tree or shrub, having green leaves all year round: 1593, in Gabriel Harvey's Pierces Supererogation.[2] The sources disagree on the date: Dictionary.com gives 1545–55, Merriam-Webster 1574 for the adjective and 1644 for the noun,[6][4] and Etymonline the 1640s for the noun and the 1660s for the adjective.[3]

Semantic evolution

The word first described trees and shrubs, contrasted with deciduous ones, then their leaves (1629) and any always-green landscape (1622).[2] It was soon used figuratively for what is always fresh and never fails (1655),[2] although Etymonline dates the figurative sense only to 1871.[3] The noun, an evergreen tree or shrub, followed in 1658,[2] while since 1712 an evergreen could be a person or thing of lasting freshness or popularity.[2] Johnson (1755) defined the adjective as "verdant throughout the year" and quoted Milton's "laurel, evergreen, and branching palm",[7] a line the OED prints as Laurel ever green.[2] In American slang of the early 20th century evergreen meant money, from its colour.[8]

Timeline

  • 1526 – the phrase “euer grene”, of a plant.[2]
  • 1574 – adjective, in Merriam-Webster's dating.[4]
  • 1593 – of a tree or shrub, keeping green leaves all year.[2]
  • 1622 – always green, of a landscape.[2]
  • 1629 – of a leaf; in names of plants such as evergreen oak.[2]
  • 1640s – noun, of trees and shrubs, in Etymonline (1644 in Merriam-Webster).[3][4]
  • 1655 – figurative, always fresh, enduring.[2]
  • 1658 – noun, an evergreen tree or shrub.[2]
  • 1712 – noun, a person or thing of lasting popularity.[2]
  • 1755 – Johnson: verdant throughout the year.[7]
  • 1908 – American slang, money.[8]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of trees and shrubs, keeping green foliage all year round, as opposed to deciduous: Holly and pine are evergreen.[9][4][2]
  2. Always fresh, interesting or popular; perennial: an evergreen tune.[9][4][2]

Noun

  1. An evergreen tree or shrub, such as a pine or holly.[9][4][2]
  2. evergreens: branches of evergreen plants used for decoration.[4]
  3. A person or thing that stays fresh or popular over many years.[2]

Word family

  • semievergreen
  • evergreen oak
  • Chinese evergreen

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  8. ^ a b Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
  9. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins