\Spruce\, n. [OE. Spruce or Pruse, Prussia, Prussian. So
named because it was first known as a native of Prussia, or
because its sprouts were used for making, spruce beer. Cf.
Spruce beer, below, {Spruce}, a.]
1. (Bot.) Any coniferous tree of the genus {Picea}, as the
   Norway spruce ({P. excelsa}), and the white and black
   spruces of America ({P. alba} and {P. nigra}), besides
   several others in the far Northwest. See {Picea}.
2. The wood or timber of the spruce tree.
3. Prussia leather; pruce. [Obs.]
         Spruce, a sort of leather corruptly so called for
         Prussia leather.                      --E. Phillips.
{Douglas spruce} (Bot.), a valuable timber tree ({Pseudotsuga
   Douglasii}) of Northwestern America.
{Essence of spruce}, a thick, dark-colored, bitterish, and
   acidulous liquid made by evaporating a decoction of the
   young branches of spruce.
{Hemlock spruce} (Bot.), a graceful coniferous tree ({Tsuga
   Canadensis}) of North America. Its timber is valuable, and
   the bark is largely used in tanning leather.
{Spruce beer}. [G. sprossenbier; sprosse sprout, shoot (akin
   to E. sprout, n.) + bier beer. The word was changed into
   spruce because the beer came from Prussia (OE. Spruce), or
   because it was made from the sprouts of the spruce. See
   {Sprout}, n., {Beer}, and cf. {Spruce}, n.] A kind of beer
   which is tinctured or flavored with spruce, either by
   means of the extract or by decoction.
{Spruce grouse}. (Zo["o]l.) Same as {Spruce partridge},
   below.
{Spruce leather}. See {Spruce}, n., 3.
{Spruce partridge} (Zo["o]l.), a handsome American grouse
   ({Dendragapus Canadensis}) found in Canada and the
   Northern United States; -- called also {Canada grouse}.

\Spruce\, a. [Compar. {Sprucer}; superl. {Sprucest}]
[Perhaps fr. spruce a sort of leather from Prussia, which was
an article of finery. See {Spruce}, n.]
1. Neat, without elegance or dignity; -- formerly applied to
   things with a serious meaning; now chiefly applied to
   persons. ``Neat and spruce array.'' --Remedy of Love.
2. Sprightly; dashing. [Obs.] ``Now, my spruce companions.''
   --Shak.
         He is so spruce that he can never be genteel.
                                               --Tatler.
Syn: Finical; neat; trim. See {Finical}. -- {Sruce"ly}, adv.
     -- {Spruce"ness}, n.

\Spruce\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Spruced}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Sprucing}.]
To dress with affected neatness; to trim; to make spruce.

\Spruce\, v. i.
To dress one's self with affected neatness; as, to spruce up.