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
The assembly of valves, pipes, and gauges used to control the output of an oil well
(1920s+ Oilfield)
A display of colored lights that flash in sequence, used to start drag races
(1950s+ Car racing)
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)