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

/ härd′wd′ /

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

Winding up face down on the court, Bilodeau pounded the hardwood with both hands and uttered an expletive.

From Los Angeles Times

When Cheryl Miller first touched the hardwood as a Trojan, she powered the women of Troy to a national championship.

From Los Angeles Times

The stands consist of two triangular hardwood structures that clip together through magnets, with naturally tanned leather attachments for the guitars to rest on.

From Los Angeles Times

The seconds it took to run down those stairs and find her on the hardwood floor, not knowing if she was alive, will forever haunt my husband and me.

From Los Angeles Times

This mosquito tends to live in hardwood bogs and feeds on birds like robins, herons, and wrens, spreading the virus among them.

From Salon

Related Words

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