con·i·fer (kŏn′ə-fər, kō′nə-) n. Any of various mostly needle-leaved or scale-leaved, chiefly evergreen, cone-bearing gymnospermous trees or shrubs of the order Coniferales, such as pines, spruces, and firs. [Latin cōnifer, cone-bearing : cōnus, cone (from Greek kōnos; see kō- in Indo-European roots) + -fer, -fer.] co·nif′er·ous (kō ...