Etymology
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arbor vitae (n.)

also arbor-vitae, type of evergreen shrub, 1660s, name given by French physician and botanist Charles de Lécluse, Latin, literally "tree of life;" see arbor (n.2) + vital. Also used in late 18c. rogue's slang as a cant word for "penis."

Entries linking to arbor vitae

arbor (n.2)
"main support or beam of a machine," 1650s, from Latin arbor, arboris "tree," from Proto-Italic *arthos, which de Vaan derives from PIE *herdhos "height, uprightness," from root *eredh- "to grow, high" (see ortho-).
vital (adj.)
late 14c., "of or manifesting life," from Latin vitalis "of or belonging to life," from vita "life," related to vivere "to live," from PIE root *gwei- "to live." The sense of "necessary or important" is from 1610s, via the notion of "essential to life" (late 15c.). Vital capacity recorded from 1852. Related: Vitally.

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