woodwork

[ wood-wurk ]

noun

1. objects or parts made of wood.
2. the interior wooden fittings, especially of a house, as doors, stairways, or moldings.

woodwork

/ ˈwʊdˌwɜːk /

noun

1. the art, craft, or skill of making things in wood; carpentry
2. components made of wood, such as doors, staircases, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of woodwork¹

First recorded in 1640–50; wood ¹ + work

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. come out of the woodwork, Informal. to appear or materialize suddenly and unexpectedly:

   Since mortgage rates declined, prospective buyers have been coming out of the woodwork.

Example Sentences

The 18th-century estate is an exquisite ode to Rococo style with towering arched windows, hand-carved woodwork, and interior columns.

From The Daily Beast

The more open you are about your values and your frustrations, the more kindred souls will come out of the woodwork.

From Outside Online

We expect that a lot more women are going to come out of the woodwork who were done wrong by him.

From Vox

For whatever reason, summertime in New York is when all the ghosts of hip-hop past come out of the woodwork.

From The Daily Beast

Romney seems to be bringing liberal Jews out of the woodwork.

From The Daily Beast

Watch out for window frames and other woodwork picked out in shades of cream or gray-green.

From The Daily Beast

While we obsessed over jobs and the national debt, it faded into the campaign woodwork.

From The Daily Beast

Before the leaks and girlfriends come out of the woodwork, spill it.

From The Daily Beast

The fine paneled woodwork in the interior of the palace and the antique tooled leather walls of the library are also noteworthy.

From Project Gutenberg

Occasionally metal work or woodwork is used for intermediate piers.

From Project Gutenberg

A fine piece of woodwork is often spoiled by the amateur craftsman when starting a cut with a saw.

From Project Gutenberg

The volleys came thick and fast; the woodwork, strong as it was, began to be penetrated by the bullets.

From Project Gutenberg

Then I heard someone outside my cabin-door working as though with a screwdriver, unscrewing a screw from the woodwork.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• molding
• paneling
• staircase