bentwood

American  

[bent-wood] / ˈbɛntˌwʊd /

noun

1. wood steamed and bent for use in furniture.

2. an article of furniture made of bentwood.

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adjective

1. of or relating to furniture made principally of pieces of wood of circular or oval section, steamed, bent, and screwed together.

   a bentwood rocking chair.

bentwood British  

/ ˈbɛntˌwʊd /

noun

1. 1. wood bent in moulds after being heated by steaming, used mainly for furniture

   2. ( as modifier )

      a bentwood chair

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Etymology

Origin of bentwood

First recorded in 1860–65; bent ¹ + wood ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bentwood

By merging then and now, it plunges visitors into a milieu they may know only through a Shaker bentwood box, and it signals that this exhibition aims to explore the relevance of Shaker ideas today.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026

He pulled up one of the small bentwood chairs and set his green divebag on the tiles.

From New York Times ● Oct. 14, 2022

I’m in a room with bentwood stackable folding chairs, and there’s a bemused audience watching a group of large women in rolled-up nylon stockings, playing tubas and trombones.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2021

An excuse to sidle a sleek mid-century piece right up next to a bentwood beauty and a chipped farmhouse bench?

From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2021

Glossy bentwood furniture, throw rugs over hardwood floors, Southwest accents: an Anasazi-style wedding vase here, a Georgia O’Keeffe print there.

From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli

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