the treeness of the tree
Preserved but no longer current.
The essential qualities that compose a tree; in the absence of which a tree would cease to be a tree. Hence, the absolute essentials of anything. The phrase is evidently modelled on SterneTs "Corregiosity of Corregio" (Tristram Shandy III, xii).
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “the treeness of the tree” mean?
The essential qualities that compose a tree; in the absence of which a tree would cease to be a tree. Hence, the absolute essentials of anything. The phrase is evidently modelled on SterneTs "Corregiosity of Corregio" (Tristram Shandy III, xii).
Is “the treeness of the tree” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.