arbour

noun

UKAH-buh/ˈɑːbə/AHR-bur/ˈɑɹbɚ/

US spellingarbor

2 meanings of arbour

1
shady garden seatnouncountable
A seat or corner in a garden or park, kept shady by climbing plants that grow over and around it.
We ate our lunch in the arbour at the bottom of the garden.
Roses had climbed all over the old wooden arbour by the gate.
Similarbower, pergola
2
small woodnouncountable
A small group of trees, like a little wood.
Similargrove, copse

Used only in American English, spelled arbor: a shaft on a lathe; a bar holding cutting tools; the spindle of a wheel.

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From an old word for a garden that came from French. Its spelling was later changed to look more like the Latin word for "tree".

Checked 4 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

The word derives from an earlier English word meaning garden; lowercase 'old English' is consistent with its Middle English origin. en.wiktionary.org