wood

¹

[ wood ]

noun

1. the hard, fibrous substance composing most of the stem and branches of a tree or shrub, and lying beneath the bark; the xylem.
2. the trunks or main stems of trees as suitable for architectural and other purposes; timber or lumber.
3. firewood ( def ).
4. the cask, barrel, or keg, as distinguished from the bottle:

   aged in the wood.

5. woodblock ( def 1 ).
6. Music.
   1. a woodwind instrument.
   2. the section of a band or orchestra composed of woodwinds.
7. Often woods. (used with a singular or plural verb) a large and thick collection of growing trees; a grove or forest:

   They picnicked in the woods.

8. Golf. a club with a wooden head, as a driver, brassie, spoon, or baffy for hitting long shots. Compare iron ( def 5 ).

adjective

1. made of wood; wooden.
2. used to store, work, or carry wood:

   a wood chisel.

3. dwelling or growing in woods:

   wood bird.

verb (used with object)

1. to cover or plant with trees.
2. to supply with wood; get supplies of wood for.

verb (used without object)

1. to take in or get supplies of wood (often followed by up ):

   to wood up before the approach of winter.

wood

²

[ wood ]

adjective

, Archaic.

1. wild, as with rage or excitement.
2. mad; insane.

Wood

³

[ wood ]

noun

1. Grant, 1892–1942, U.S. painter.
2. Leonard, 1860–1927, U.S. military doctor and political administrator.

wood

¹

/ wʊd /

noun

1. the hard fibrous substance consisting of xylem tissue that occurs beneath the bark in trees, shrubs, and similar plants ligneousxyloid
2. the trunks of trees that have been cut and prepared for use as a building material
3. a collection of trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses, etc, usually dominated by one or a few species of tree: usually smaller than a forest sylvan

   an oak wood

4. fuel; firewood
5. golf
   1. a long-shafted club with a broad wooden or metal head, used for driving: numbered from 1 to 7 according to size, angle of face, etc
   2. ( as modifier )

      a wood shot

6. tennis squash badminton the frame of a racket

   he hit a winning shot off the wood

7. one of the biased wooden bowls used in the game of bowls
8. music short for woodwind See also woods
9. 1. casks, barrels, etc, made of wood
   2. (of a beverage) from a wooden container rather than a metal or glass one
10. have the wood on or have got the wood on informal.
    to have an advantage over
11. out of the wood or out of the woods
    clear of or safe from dangers or doubts

    we're not out of the wood yet

12. see the wood for the trees
    used with a negative to obtain a general view of a situation, problem, etc, without allowing details to cloud one's analysis

    he can't see the wood for the trees

13. modifier made of, used for, employing, or handling wood

    a wood fire

14. modifier dwelling in, concerning, or situated in a wood

    a wood nymph

verb

1. tr to plant a wood upon
2. to supply or be supplied with fuel or firewood

Wood

²

/ wʊd /

noun

1. WoodHenry18141887FBritishWRITING: novelist Mrs Henry , married name of Ellen Price . 1814–87, British novelist, noted esp for the melodramatic novel East Lynne (1861)
2. WoodSir Henry (Joseph)18691944MEnglishMUSIC: conductor Sir Henry ( Joseph ). 1869–1944, English conductor, who founded the Promenade Concerts in London
3. WoodJohn17071754MBritishARCHITECTURE: architectMISC: town planner John, known as the Elder . 1707–54, British architect and town planner, working mainly in Bath, where he designed the North and South Parades (1728) and the Circus (1754)
4. WoodJohn17271782MBritishARCHITECTURE: architect his son, John , known as the Younger . 1727–82, British architect: designed the Royal Crescent (1767–71) and the Assembly Rooms (1769–71), Bath
5. WoodRalph17151772MBritishARTS AND CRAFTS: potter Ralph. 1715–72, British potter, working in Staffordshire, who made the first toby jug (1762)

wood

³

/ wʊd /

adjective

1. obsolete.
   raging or raving like a maniac

Derived Forms

• ˈwoodless, adjective

Other Words From

• wood·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wood¹

First recorded before 900; from Middle English, from Old English wudu, earlier widu; cognate with Old Norse vithr, Old High German witu, Old Irish fid

Origin of wood²

First recorded before 900; Middle English wod(e), wodde, Old English wōd; cognate with Old Norse ōthr “mad, frantic”; akin to German Wut “rage,” Old English wōth “song” (because it was due to inspired madness; enthusiast ( def ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of wood¹

Old English widu, wudu; related to Old High German witu, Old Norse vithr

Origin of wood²

Old English wōd; related to Old High German wuot (German Wut ), Old Norse ōthr, Gothic wōths, Latin vātēs seer

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. have the wood on, Australian Slang. to have an advantage over or have information that can be used against.
2. knock on wood, (used when knocking on something wooden to assure continued good luck): Also especially British, touch wood.

   The car's still in good shape, knock on wood.

3. out of the woods,
   1. out of a dangerous, perplexing, or difficult situation; secure; safe.
   2. no longer in precarious health or critical condition; out of danger and recovering.

Synonym Study

See forest.

Example Sentences

Then less than a year later, she's making these indie folk albums where the cover is in black and white and she's standing in the woods and doing all these acoustic songs.

From Salon

In this forest fable, Rat panics when her friend Jackdaw sees that she is sad and runs off into the woods just as a huge storm moves in.

From Los Angeles Times

Renewed curiosity led Ruth and me to Summer’s chaotic house, to Kiana’s quiet place in the woods, to Alleyah’s recovery residence in Florida, back to the jail to find Destiny.

From New York Times

Still, although he agrees the evidence points to Neanderthals burning wood in this ancient hearth, he’s not entirely convinced they did so to make tar.

From Science Magazine

"Though overall, we might see a shift in the transmission in some places, we do again, still see escalation in others - and so we're not out of the woods yet."

From BBC

Related Words

• lumber
• timber
• woodland