sapwood

[ sap-wood ]

nounBotany.
  1. the softer part of the wood between the inner bark and the heartwood.

Compare Meanings

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

Origin of sapwood

1
First recorded in 1785–95; sap1 + wood1

Words Nearby sapwood

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sapwood in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sapwood

sapwood

/ (ˈsæpˌwʊd) /


noun
  1. the soft wood, just beneath the bark in tree trunks, that consists of living tissue: Compare heartwood

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

Scientific definitions for sapwood

sapwood

[ săpwud′ ]


  1. The younger layers of new wood produced by the interior side of the vascular cambium within a tree trunk. Sapwood is active in the conduction of water and is usually lighter in color than heartwood.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.