dendrochronology
[ den-droh-kruh-nol-uh-jee ]
/ ˌdɛn droʊ krəˈnɒl ə dʒi /
noun
the science dealing with the study of the annual rings of trees in determining the dates and chronological order of past events.
QUIZZES
IT’S A WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ BONANZA!
This windfall of words will make you rich with knowledge. Mine your memory on the words from July 27 to August 2!
Question 1 of 7
What does "scattergood" mean?
a person who acts as though he or she knows everything and who dismisses the opinions, comments, or suggestions of others.
a person who spends possessions or money extravagantly or wastefully; spendthrift.
a well-intentioned but naive and often ineffectual social or political reformer.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUTOrigin of dendrochronology
First recorded in 1925–30; dendro- + chronology
OTHER WORDS FROM dendrochronology
den·dro·chron·o·log·i·cal [den-droh-kron-l-oj-i-kuh l] /ˌdɛn droʊˌkrɒn lˈɒdʒ ɪ kəl/, adjectiveden·dro·chron·o·log·i·cal·ly, adverbden·dro·chro·nol·o·gist, nounWords nearby dendrochronology
dendritic keratitis, dendritic process, dendritic spine, dendro-, dendrobium, dendrochronology, dendrogram, dendroid, dendrology, dendron, dendrophagous
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for dendrochronology
dendrochronology
/ (ˌdɛndrəʊkrəˈnɒlədʒɪ) /
noun
the study of the annual rings of trees, used esp to date past events
Derived forms of dendrochronology
dendrochronological (ˌdɛndrəʊˌkrɒnəˈlɒdʒɪkəl), adjectivedendrochronologist, nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for dendrochronology
dendrochronology
[ dĕn′drō-krə-nŏl′ə-jē ]
The study of growth rings in trees for the purpose of analyzing past climate conditions or determining the dates of past events. Because trees grow more slowly in periods of drought or other environmental stress than they do under more favorable conditions, the size of the rings they produce varies. Analyzing the pattern of a tree's rings provides information about the environmental changes that took place during the period in which it was growing. Matching the pattern in trees whose age is known to the pattern in wood found at an archaeological site can establish the age at which the wood was cut and thus the approximate date of the site. By comparing living trees with old lumber and finding overlapping ring patterns, scientists have established chronological records for some species that go back as far as 9,000 years.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.