Etymologically
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sequoia

Etymology and origin of the English word sequoia

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /səˈkwɔɪ.ə/ (UK); /sɪˈkwɔɪ.ə/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from New Latin Sequoia, the name of the genus,[2][3][4][5][6] given in 1847 by the Austrian botanist Stephan Endlicher,[4] apparently in honour of Sequoya (also called George Guess), the Cherokee who invented a system of writing for the Cherokee language.[2][3][4][5][6] Endlicher never explained the name, and the connection with Sequoya is an assumption that some botanists have questioned.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The giant coniferous tree of California (1857 in Etymonline; 1866 in the OED and Merriam-Webster; 1869 in Barnhart).[4][7][5][3]

Semantic evolution

Endlicher's genus name was first applied to the coast redwood.[4] The giant sequoia, unknown to science until 1852, had other names proposed for it, such as Wellingtonia, given by the English botanist John Lindley in honour of the Duke of Wellington.[4] The giant sequoia is now placed in a separate genus, Sequoiadendron.[1]

Timeline

  • 1847 – genus name Sequoia given by Endlicher.[4][6]
  • 1857 – first English use (Etymonline).[4]
  • 1866 – the OED's first quotation.[7][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Either of two huge coniferous trees of California with reddish bark, which may grow over 300 feet tall: the giant sequoia and the coast redwood.

Word family

  • metasequoia
  • redwood
  • giant sequoia
  • wellingtonia

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Sequoia.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/sequoia. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·