Definition of "alder" []

• Any of various deciduous shrubs or trees of the genus Alnus, native chiefly to northern temperate regions and having alternate simple toothed leaves and tiny fruits in woody, conelike catkins. (noun)
• The wood of these plants, used in carvings and for making furniture and cabinets. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Clad in alder wood, the sauna is available in three sizes, starting at around $30,000 for the 200 sq-ft model plus shipping and assembly."
• "He arose to stir the sap and pour more from the barrels to the kettles before he began on the tag alder he had gathered."
• "Our alders also are mere bushes, while the European alder is a full-sized tree, tall as their elms or beeches."