tree of life

Meanings

1. A kind of tree, the arborvitae; an individual thereof.
2. A metaphor used to describe the phylogenetic relationships between organisms, both living and extinct; a diagram that shows those relationships, with a treelike appearance.
3. A term used in the Hebrew Bible that is a component of the world tree motif.
4. The central mystical symbol used in the Kabbalah of esoteric Judaism, also known as the ten sephiroth.