wood

¹

[ wood ]

noun

1. the hard, fibrous substance composing most of the stem and branches of a tree or shrub, and lying beneath the bark; the xylem.
2. the trunks or main stems of trees as suitable for architectural and other purposes; timber or lumber.
3. firewood ( def ).
4. the cask, barrel, or keg, as distinguished from the bottle:

   aged in the wood.

5. woodblock ( def 1 ).
6. Music.
   1. a woodwind instrument.
   2. the section of a band or orchestra composed of woodwinds.
7. Often woods. (used with a singular or plural verb) a large and thick collection of growing trees; a grove or forest:

   They picnicked in the woods.

8. Golf. a club with a wooden head, as a driver, brassie, spoon, or baffy for hitting long shots. Compare iron ( def 5 ).

adjective

1. made of wood; wooden.
2. used to store, work, or carry wood:

   a wood chisel.

3. dwelling or growing in woods:

   wood bird.

verb (used with object)

1. to cover or plant with trees.
2. to supply with wood; get supplies of wood for.

verb (used without object)

1. to take in or get supplies of wood (often followed by up ):

   to wood up before the approach of winter.

wood

²

[ wood ]

adjective

, Archaic.

1. wild, as with rage or excitement.
2. mad; insane.

Wood

³

[ wood ]

noun

1. Grant, 1892–1942, U.S. painter.
2. Leonard, 1860–1927, U.S. military doctor and political administrator.

wood

¹

/ wʊd /

noun

1. the hard fibrous substance consisting of xylem tissue that occurs beneath the bark in trees, shrubs, and similar plants ligneousxyloid
2. the trunks of trees that have been cut and prepared for use as a building material
3. a collection of trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses, etc, usually dominated by one or a few species of tree: usually smaller than a forest sylvan

   an oak wood

4. fuel; firewood
5. golf
   1. a long-shafted club with a broad wooden or metal head, used for driving: numbered from 1 to 7 according to size, angle of face, etc
   2. ( as modifier )

      a wood shot

6. tennis squash badminton the frame of a racket

   he hit a winning shot off the wood

7. one of the biased wooden bowls used in the game of bowls
8. See woods, woodwind
   music short for woodwind See also woods
9. 1. casks, barrels, etc, made of wood
   2. from the wood (of a beverage) from a wooden container rather than a metal or glass one
10. have the wood on informal.
    have the wood onhave got the wood on to have an advantage over
11. out of the wood
    out of the woodout of the woods clear of or safe from dangers or doubts

    we're not out of the wood yet

12. see the wood for the trees
    see the wood for the trees used with a negative to obtain a general view of a situation, problem, etc, without allowing details to cloud one's analysis

    he can't see the wood for the trees

13. modifier made of, used for, employing, or handling wood

    a wood fire

14. modifier dwelling in, concerning, or situated in a wood

    a wood nymph

verb

1. tr to plant a wood upon
2. to supply or be supplied with fuel or firewood

wood

²

/ wʊd /

adjective

1. obsolete.
   raging or raving like a maniac

Wood

³

/ wʊd /

noun

1. WoodHenry18141887FBritishWRITING: novelist Mrs Henry , married name of Ellen Price . 1814–87, British novelist, noted esp for the melodramatic novel East Lynne (1861)
2. WoodSir Henry (Joseph)18691944MEnglishMUSIC: conductor Sir Henry ( Joseph ). 1869–1944, English conductor, who founded the Promenade Concerts in London
3. WoodJohn17071754MBritishARCHITECTURE: architectMISC: town planner John, known as the Elder . 1707–54, British architect and town planner, working mainly in Bath, where he designed the North and South Parades (1728) and the Circus (1754)
4. WoodJohn17271782MBritishARCHITECTURE: architect his son, John , known as the Younger . 1727–82, British architect: designed the Royal Crescent (1767–71) and the Assembly Rooms (1769–71), Bath
5. WoodRalph17151772MBritishARTS AND CRAFTS: potter Ralph. 1715–72, British potter, working in Staffordshire, who made the first toby jug (1762)

Derived Forms

• ˈwoodless, adjective

Other Words From

• wood·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wood¹

First recorded before 900; from Middle English, from Old English wudu, earlier widu; cognate with Old Norse vithr, Old High German witu, Old Irish fid

Origin of wood²

First recorded before 900; Middle English wod(e), wodde, Old English wōd; cognate with Old Norse ōthr “mad, frantic”; akin to German Wut “rage,” Old English wōth “song” (because it was due to inspired madness; enthusiast ( def ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of wood¹

Old English widu, wudu; related to Old High German witu, Old Norse vithr

Origin of wood²

Old English wōd; related to Old High German wuot (German Wut ), Old Norse ōthr, Gothic wōths, Latin vātēs seer

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. have the wood on, Australian Slang. to have an advantage over or have information that can be used against.
2. knock on wood, (used when knocking on something wooden to assure continued good luck): Also especially British, touch wood.

   The car's still in good shape, knock on wood.

3. out of the woods,
   1. out of a dangerous, perplexing, or difficult situation; secure; safe.
   2. no longer in precarious health or critical condition; out of danger and recovering.

Synonym Study

See forest.

Example Sentences

A worn couch sitting squarely before a wood veneer wall, accented by the head of a deer.

From The Daily Beast

Upstairs, in the living room, splintered logs of hemlock cackled and spat from inside the wood stove.

From The Daily Beast

Conestoga Wood Specialties Corporation A Pennsylvania-based wood cabinet and specialty products manufacturer.

From The Daily Beast

I like all of them, in a way, but I like Scissorhands and Ed Wood.

From The Daily Beast

But, yeah, Beetlejuice, Scissorhands, and Ed Wood are my favorites.

From The Daily Beast

Worst danger zone, the open sea, now traversed, but on land not yet out of the wood.

From Project Gutenberg

"But I can't stop to argue about it now;" and, saying this, he turned into a side path, and disappeared in the wood.

From Project Gutenberg

They found a few belated sowars of the 3d Cavalry, who took refuge in a wood, and the artillery opened fire at the trees!

From Project Gutenberg

Walker had painted a picture he called "Spring," a young girl gathering primroses in a wood.

From Project Gutenberg

The hills in sight, however, are very considerably wooded, and wood is apparently the common fuel.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• lumber
• timber
• woodland