# tree hugger

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. An environmental campaigner, especially one who aims to restrict logging and especially one who uses dramatic, attention-grabbing methods of obstruction.
2. A hippie.

## Etymology
From tree + hugger. Popularized after the Chipko movement in India of the 1970s, who resorted to actual group hugging of trees in order to prevent deforestation. Tommy James claims that his song "Draggin' the Line" (1971) popularized the phrase.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/tree-hugger