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annual ring

American  

noun

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


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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

annual ring Scientific  
  1. See under growth ring


Etymology

Origin of annual ring

First recorded in 1875–80


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

“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

A, fir; B, "hard" pine; C, soft pine; ar, annual ring; o.e., outer edge of ring; i.e., inner edge of ring; s.w., summer wood; sp.w., spring wood; rd., resin ducts.

From Wood and Forest by William Noyes

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

With the exception of this one annual ring, or portion of one, the density of the wood substance of the sapwood is nearly the same the year round.

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

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