Christmas tree

noun
1.
an evergreen tree decorated at Christmas with ornaments and lights.
2.
a control board or panel containing a variety of colored lights for indicating the status of various functions, elements, components, etc.
3.
an elaborate arrangement of pipes, valves, etc., as for controlling the flow of oil or gas.
Origin
1780-90, Americanism
British Dictionary definitions for Christmas tree

Christmas tree

noun
1.
an evergreen tree or an imitation of one, decorated as part of Christmas celebrations
2.
(Austral) Also called Christmas bush. any of various trees or shrubs flowering at Christmas and used for decoration
3.
another name for pohutukawa
Slang definitions & phrases for Christmas tree

Christmas tree

noun phrase
  1. The assembly of valves, pipes, and gauges used to control the output of an oil well (1920s+ Oilfield)
  2. A display of colored lights that flash in sequence, used to start drag races (1950s+ Car racing)
  3. The control panel of a submarine (1940s+ Navy)
Related Terms

lit up


Christmas tree in Technology
hardware, jargon
A kind of EIA-232 line tester or breakout box featuring rows of blinking red and green LEDs suggestive of Christmas lights.
[Jargon File]
(2006-09-20)