redwood
UK[ˈredwʊd]US[ˈredwʊd]
n
a very tall coniferous tree that grows in california and oregon, known for its reddish wood and great height.
n
the reddish, durable timber from such a tree.
Morpheme Breakdown
red
wood
red
red
wood
wood
Etymology
the word redwood is a transparent compound formed from two old english elements, 'red' and 'wood'. it is a descriptive name applied to specific north american trees, primarily sequoia sempervirens and sequoiadendron giganteum, whose heartwood has a distinctive reddish-brown color. the term follows a common english pattern for naming trees based on a characteristic feature of their timber, such as 'blackwood' or 'hardwood'. its literal meaning, "red wood," directly and logically denotes both the tree species and its commercially valuable timber.
Analysis
Structure: red (red) + wood (wood)
red (old english, meaning the color red, from proto-germanic raudaz, describing the hue of the wood); wood (old english, meaning tree or the hard fibrous material from trees, from proto-germanic widuz).
Examples
we hiked through a grove of ancient redwoods in the national park.
the house featured beautiful flooring made from reclaimed redwood.
conservation efforts are crucial to protect the remaining old-growth redwood forests.