softwood

[ sawft-wood, soft- ]
See synonyms for softwood on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any wood that is relatively soft or easily cut.

  2. a tree yielding such a wood.

  1. Forestry. a coniferous tree or its wood.

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or made of softwood.

Origin of softwood

1
First recorded in 1825–35; soft + wood1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use softwood in a sentence

  • The softwoods do not contain "pores" or vessels and are therefore called "non-porous" woods.

    Seasoning of Wood | Joseph B. Wagner
  • This process manifestly does not apply to many of the hardwoods, but is applicable to many of the softwoods.

    Seasoning of Wood | Joseph B. Wagner
  • This applies more particularly to the hardwoods, although it may be required for softwoods also.

    Seasoning of Wood | Joseph B. Wagner
  • These high-temperature methods will not apply to the majority of hardwoods, however, nor to many of the softwoods.

    Seasoning of Wood | Joseph B. Wagner
  • Test pieces cut from softwoods will dry quicker than those cut from hardwoods.

    Seasoning of Wood | Joseph B. Wagner

British Dictionary definitions for softwood

softwood

/ (ˈsɒftˌwʊd) /


noun
  1. the open-grained wood of any of numerous coniferous trees, such as pine and cedar, as distinguished from that of a dicotyledonous tree

  2. any tree yielding this wood

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for softwood

softwood

[ sôftwud′ ]


  1. A coniferous tree, especially as distinguished from an angiosperm, or hardwood, tree.

  2. The wood of a coniferous tree. Softwoods are in general softer than hardwoods. However, some softwoods, such as yew, are comparatively hard, while some hardwoods, such as basswood, are comparatively soft.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.