boxwood
UK[ˈbɒkswʊd]US[ˈbɑːkswʊd]
n
a type of slow-growing evergreen shrub or small tree with small, dense, dark green leaves, often used for making hedges and topiary.
n
the hard, fine-grained, yellowish wood of the boxwood tree, used especially for wood carving and in making musical instruments.
Morpheme Breakdown
box
wood
box
tree, forest, substance of a tree
wood
tree, forest, substance of a tree
Etymology
the word 'boxwood' is a transparent compound formed from two old english elements. the first part, 'box', has a long lineage, tracing back to the greek 'pyxos', the name for the tree, which passed into latin as 'buxus' and then into old english. the second part, 'wood', derives from the old english 'wudu', a common germanic term for the substance of a tree. the compound literally means "the wood of the box tree." its modern usage retains this literal sense, specifically denoting both the evergreen plant itself and its prized, dense timber, highlighting the direct link between the plant's identity and its primary material use.
Analysis
Structure: box + wood
box (from old english 'box', via latin 'buxus' from greek 'pyxos', referring to the box tree) + wood (from old english 'wudu', meaning "tree, forest, substance of a tree").
Examples
the intricate design was carefully carved from a single block of boxwood.
the garden's formal border was defined by a neatly trimmed boxwood hedge.
many woodwind instruments, like recorders, have historically been made from boxwood.