Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Spruce \Spruce\, a. [Compar. {Sprucer}; superl. {Sprucest}]
   [Perhaps fr. spruce a sort of leather from Prussia, which was
   an article of finery. See {Spruce}, n.]
   1. Neat, without elegance or dignity; -- formerly applied to
      things with a serious meaning; now chiefly applied to
      persons. ``Neat and spruce array.'' --Remedy of Love.

   2. Sprightly; dashing. [Obs.] ``Now, my spruce companions.''
      --Shak.

            He is so spruce that he can never be genteel.
                                                  --Tatler.

   Syn: Finical; neat; trim. See {Finical}. -- {Sruce"ly}, adv.
        -- {Spruce"ness}, n.

Spruce \Spruce\, n. [OE. Spruce or Pruse, Prussia, Prussian. So
   named because it was first known as a native of Prussia, or
   because its sprouts were used for making, spruce beer. Cf.
   Spruce beer, below, {Spruce}, a.]
   1. (Bot.) Any coniferous tree of the genus {Picea}, as the
      Norway spruce ({P. excelsa}), and the white and black
      spruces of America ({P. alba} and {P. nigra}), besides
      several others in the far Northwest. See {Picea}.

   2. The wood or timber of the spruce tree.

   3. Prussia leather; pruce. [Obs.]

            Spruce, a sort of leather corruptly so called for
            Prussia leather.                      --E. Phillips.

   {Douglas spruce} (Bot.), a valuable timber tree ({Pseudotsuga
      Douglasii}) of Northwestern America.

   {Essence of spruce}, a thick, dark-colored, bitterish, and
      acidulous liquid made by evaporating a decoction of the
      young branches of spruce.

   {Hemlock spruce} (Bot.), a graceful coniferous tree ({Tsuga
      Canadensis}) of North America. Its timber is valuable, and
      the bark is largely used in tanning leather.

   {Spruce beer}. [G. sprossenbier; sprosse sprout, shoot (akin
      to E. sprout, n.) + bier beer. The word was changed into
      spruce because the beer came from Prussia (OE. Spruce), or
      because it was made from the sprouts of the spruce. See
      {Sprout}, n., {Beer}, and cf. {Spruce}, n.] A kind of beer
      which is tinctured or flavored with spruce, either by
      means of the extract or by decoction.

   {Spruce grouse}. (Zo["o]l.) Same as {Spruce partridge},
      below.

   {Spruce leather}. See {Spruce}, n., 3.

   {Spruce partridge} (Zo["o]l.), a handsome American grouse
      ({Dendragapus Canadensis}) found in Canada and the
      Northern United States; -- called also {Canada grouse}.

Spruce \Spruce\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Spruced}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Sprucing}.]
   To dress with affected neatness; to trim; to make spruce.

Spruce \Spruce\, v. i.
   To dress one's self with affected neatness; as, to spruce up.

Source : WordNet®

spruce
     adj : marked by smartness in dress and manners; "a dapper young
           man"; "a jaunty red hat" [syn: {dapper}, {dashing}, {jaunty},
            {natty}, {raffish}, {rakish}, {smart}, {spiffy}, {snappy}]

spruce
     v 1: make neat, smart, or trim; "Spruce up your house for
          Spring"; "titivate the child" [syn: {spruce up}, {titivate},
           {tittivate}, {smarten up}, {slick up}, {spiff up}]
     2: dress and groom with particular care, as for a special
        occasion; "He spruced up for the party" [syn: {spruce up},
         {slick up}, {smarten up}]

spruce
     n 1: light soft moderately strong wood of spruce trees; used
          especially for timbers and millwork
     2: any coniferous tree of the genus Picea