Added 10 October 2026
hardwood
/ˈhɑɹdˌwʊd/ noun
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about hardwood at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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The wood from any dicotyledonous tree, without regard to its hardness.
Balsa is a hardwood, but a soft hardwood.
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The tree or tree species that yields the preceding.
This hardwood has been planted extensively throughout the hills here.
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A joint term for the commercial timbers, without distinguishing which.
You should have used hardwood for this window sill instead of this junk.
adjective
- Made of interlocking hardwood boards.
Origin
From hard + wood. The term refers to the seed coat of the tree's seeds; it does not refer to the degree of hardness of the tree's wood, but it seems to do so and is usually assumed to do so by speakers not well informed about trees and timber.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)