type of pine in western U.S., 1878, from scientific name Pinus ponderosa (1836), literally "heavy pine," from Latin ponderosus (see ponderous). So called for the heaviness of its wood.
Entries linking to ponderosa
ponderous adj.
c. 1400, "thick;" early 15c., "heavy, weighty, clumsy by reason of weight," from Latin ponderosus "of great weight; full of meaning," from pondus (genitive ponderis) "weight," from stem of pendere "to hang, cause to hang; weigh" (from PIE root *(s)pen- "to draw, stretch, spin"). From late 15c. as "important." Meaning "tedious" is first recorded 1704. Related: Ponderously; ponderousness; ponderosity (1580s in the figurative sense).