hardwood

[hahrd-wood]

noun

1. the hard, hard, compact wood or timber of various trees, as the oak, cherry, maple, or mahogany.

2. a tree yielding such wood.

adjective

1. made or constructed of hardwood.

   a hardwood floor.

hardwood

/ ˈhɑːdˌwʊd /

noun

1. the wood of any of numerous broad-leaved dicotyledonous trees, such as oak, beech, ash, etc, as distinguished from the wood of a conifer

2. any tree from which this wood is obtained

hardwood

1. A eudicot or magnoliid tree, especially as distinguished from a coniferous, or softwood, tree.

2. The wood of a eudicot or magnoliid tree. Hardwoods are in general harder than softwood. However, some hardwoods, such as basswood, are comparatively soft, while some softwoods, such as yew, are comparatively hard.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hardwood¹

First recorded in 1560–70; hard + wood ¹

Example Sentences

Nail heads are poking through the gym’s thin hardwood floors.

Read more on Salon

The spacious kitchen is also accented with rich hardwood flooring, stone design elements, solid alder doors, and dual-pane windows.

Read more on MarketWatch

The hardwood floors are stacked and ready to lay down.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Blood trickled from Brink’s face onto the hardwood as Brink shouted at the referees after no foul was called.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

And though the 20-year veteran barely lifted a palm — leaving the cheering to his wife and daughter — Paul’s court savvy still seemed to seep across the hardwood, finding its way to the Sparks’ Kelsey Plum.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• forest 
• sapling 
• seedling 
• shrub 
• timber 
• wood