growth ring

noun

1. annual ring.

growth ring

noun

1. another name for annual ring

growth ring

1. A layer of wood formed in a plant during a single period of growth. Growth rings are visible as concentric circles of varying width when a tree is cut crosswise. They represent layers of cells produced by vascular cambium.
2. ◆ Most growth rings reflect a full year's growth and are called annual rings. But abrupt changes in the environment, especially in the availability of water, can cause a plant to produce more than one growth ring in a year.
3. See more at dendrochronology
4. A similar layer in a part of an animal marking a period of growth, such as an annulus in a fish scale.

Word History and Origins

Origin of growth ring¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

They compare this century’s drought and other megadroughts using ancient records captured in the growth rings of trees.

From Los Angeles Times

Dendrochronology uses characteristic patterns of broad and narrow annual growth rings in wood, which are influenced by climatic conditions.

From Science Daily

A common way to tell the age of a tree is by counting the growth rings in its trunk.

From NewsForKids.net

That’s because these trees often lack regular growth rings, he said.

From New York Times

His inspiration for “Union” was sparked by examining the concentric growth rings of a fallen Western red cedar in Seattle’s Discovery Park.

From Seattle Times