1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Spruce

SPRUCE, i.e. spruce-fir, a coniferous tree belonging to the genus Picea, of which there are several species, such as the Norway spruce, Picea excelsa; the black spruce, Picea nigra, &c. (see Fir). The name has a curious origin, which explains also the particular meaning of the adjective “spruce,” neatly dressed, smart in appearance, fine. From a number of early quotations given by Skeat (Etym. Dict.) it is clear that “spruce” a variant of “pruce,” simply stood for Prussian; the form “spruce,” rather than “pruce,” being established partly by the German Sprossen, sprouts or young shoots (seen in Sprossen-bier, spruce-beer, made of the sprouts of this fir).