deadwood

[ ded-wood ]

noun

1. the dead branches on a tree; dead branches or trees.
2. useless or burdensome persons or things:

   He cut the deadwood from his staff.

3. (in writing) unnecessary words, phrases, or exposition; expendable verbiage:

   This could be a thoughtful and incisive essay if you get rid of the deadwood.

4. Nautical. a solid construction, serving only as reinforcement, located between the keel of a vessel and the stem or sternpost.
5. Bowling. pins remaining on the alley after having been knocked down by the ball.
6. Cards.
   1. Rummy. cards in a hand that have not been included in sets and are usually counted as points against the holder.
   2. Poker. cards that have been discarded.

deadwood

/ ˈdɛdˌwʊd /

noun

1. dead trees or branches
2. informal.
   a useless person; encumbrance
3. nautical a filler piece between the keel and the stern of a wooden vessel

Word History and Origins

Origin of deadwood¹

First recorded in 1720–30; dead + wood ¹

Example Sentences

Their grazing also reduced fire hazards, as did local families collecting deadwood to burn in the winter.

From Seattle Times

West: A century of firefighting, elimination of Indigenous burning, logging of large fire-resistant trees, and other management practices that allowed small trees, undergrowth and deadwood to choke forests.

From Seattle Times

Through photosynthesis, carbon transforms into biomass, which eventually dies and becomes leaf litter or deadwood.

From National Geographic

He said it was part of an exercise to "cut the deadwood out of the police force".

From BBC

Mr Sarma had earlier vowed to "cut the deadwood out of the police force".

From BBC