dogwood

American  

[dawg-wood, dog-] / ˈdɔgˌwʊd, ˈdɒg- /

noun

• dogwoods
  plural

1. any tree or shrub of the genus Cornus, especially C. sanguinea, of Europe, or C. florida, of America.

2. the wood of any such tree.

3. a light to medium brown or a medium yellowish-brown color.

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adjective

1. having the color dogwood.

dogwood British  

/ ˈdɒɡˌwʊd /

noun

1. any of various cornaceous trees or shrubs of the genus Cornus , esp C. sanguinea, a European shrub with clusters of small white flowers and black berries: the shoots are red in winter

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dogwoods
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of dogwood

First recorded in 1610–20; dog + wood ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dogwood dogwoods

The football is where you left it at the end of last year’s Thanksgiving Family Touch Football Game, which is stuck at the top of your neighbor’s dogwood tree.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 26, 2025

Hineline argued that writing down seasonal milestones can reduce the oppressive feeling of unease you get when you see the dogwood trees putting out flowers before Easter.

From Slate ● Mar. 24, 2024

And how, in the very same way, the oil-slick sheen of a June Bug wing may reveal its unseen spectra only against the brief-blooming dogwood in just the right season of sun.

From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2023

The goal was to reduce dead and downed vegetation, slow the regeneration of Pacific dogwood and expose patches of mineral soil where sequoia seedlings could take root, according to an incident action plan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2023

The next morning, when Cap was performing the dancelike martial arts moves by the dogwood bushes, my darling daughter emptied an entire wastebasket full of water down on his head.

From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman

Baker notes that the lineage that led to blueberries, for instance, is the result of an ancient hybridization between dogwoods and the ancestors of coffee plants, daisies, and mints.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 23, 2024

In Moran’s leafy northwest Washington neighborhood, a profusion of rainbow flags and Pride Month bunting blossomed from windows and storefronts, as bright and cheery as the brilliant dogwoods and lustrous azalea bushes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2023

The brilliant displays of dogwoods, magnolias, redbuds and others signal all is well in the tree world.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 21, 2023

Spring on the parkway brings the pink flowers of redbud trees and the paper-white flowers of dogwoods.

From New York Times ● Nov. 1, 2022

The dogwoods low on the mountain waved as if asking me to look at their glory.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

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