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 latter are very small, numerous, and appear as irregular grayish bands widening toward the outer edge of the annual ring.

From Studies of Trees by Levison, Jacob Joshua

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.

The accumulation of these worn-out cells forms the total of the season's growth, the annual ring of wood on one side of the cambium and the annual layer of bark on the other.

From Trees Worth Knowing by Rogers, Julia Ellen