annual ring

American  

noun

1. an annual formation of wood in plants, consisting of two concentric layers, one of springwood and one of summerwood.

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annual ring British  

noun

1. Also called: tree ring.  a ring of wood indicating one year's growth, seen in the transverse section of stems and roots of woody plants growing in temperate climates

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annual ring Scientific  

1. See under growth ring

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Etymology

Origin of annual ring

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

“The tree-ring patterns in the cross-sections were visually inspected,” the research paper said, “and then the annual ring widths were measured to the nearest 0.001 mm.”

From New York Times • Sep. 7, 2022

Geoghan’s friends said he was known for deflecting praise, asking others to speak at the McDonald’s games’ annual ring ceremony.

From Washington Post • Mar. 28, 2022

The width of the spring wood changes but little with the width of the annual ring, so that the narrowing or broadening of the annual ring is always at the expense of the summer wood.

From The Mechanical Properties of Wood Including a Discussion of the Factors Affecting the Mechanical Properties, and Methods of Timber Testing by Record, Samuel J.

Several layers of wood could be counted underneath these callused margins—often 6 or 7—before reaching the annual ring exposed at the surface of the canker.

From Northern Nut Growers Association, Report Of The Proceedings At The Tenth Annual Meeting. Battle Creek, Michigan, December 9 and 10, 1919 by Northern Nut Growers Association

It may also, but more rarely, be confounded with heavier white pine, but for the sharper definition of the annual ring, weight, and hardness.

From Wood and Forest by Noyes, William