hardwood

[hahrd-wood]

noun

1. the hard, hard, compact wood or timber of various trees, as the oak, cherry, maple, or mahogany.

2. a tree yielding such wood.

adjective

1. made or constructed of hardwood.

   a hardwood floor.

hardwood

/ ˈhɑːdˌwʊd /

noun

1. the wood of any of numerous broad-leaved dicotyledonous trees, such as oak, beech, ash, etc, as distinguished from the wood of a conifer

2. any tree from which this wood is obtained

hardwood

1. A eudicot or magnoliid tree, especially as distinguished from a coniferous, or softwood, tree.

2. The wood of a eudicot or magnoliid tree. Hardwoods are in general harder than softwood. However, some hardwoods, such as basswood, are comparatively soft, while some softwoods, such as yew, are comparatively hard.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hardwood¹

First recorded in 1560–70; hard + wood ¹

Example Sentences

My eyes fall in defeat to the scuffed hardwood floor.

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Before he presided over the sport of football, Tagliabue starred on the hardwood.

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Dropped objects rolled down dips in the hardwood.

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Nail heads are poking through the gym’s thin hardwood floors.

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The spacious kitchen is also accented with rich hardwood flooring, stone design elements, solid alder doors, and dual-pane windows.

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Related Words

• forest 
• sapling 
• seedling 
• shrub 
• timber 
• wood