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heartwood

[ hahrt-wood ]

noun

  1. the hard central wood of the trunk of an exogenous tree; duramen.


heartwood

/ ˈhɑːtˌwʊd /

noun

  1. the central core of dark hard wood in tree trunks, consisting of nonfunctioning xylem tissue that has become blocked with resins, tannins, and oils Compare sapwood
“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


heartwood

/ härtwd′ /

  1. The older, nonliving central wood of a tree or woody plant, usually darker and harder than the younger sapwood. Unlike the sapwood, it no longer conducts water, and its main function is the support of the tree.


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Word History and Origins

Origin of heartwood1

First recorded in 1795–1805; heart + wood 1
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Compare Meanings

How does heartwood compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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Example Sentences

She also authored Heartwood, a story collection for adult literacy students, and edited The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South.

The spores of a heartwood-inhabiting fungus cannot germinate and thrive unless they fall upon the heartwood of the tree.

Spores of parasitic fungi enter the cracks, germinate and infect the heartwood.

Nearly all the larger trees in the Fuegian forests have the heartwood decayed, and are worthless as timber.

Pur′ple-wood, -heart, the heartwood of Copaifera pubiflora, used for ramrods.

The living outer portion of a trunk or large branch of a tree between the heartwood and the bark.

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