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Glite Dictionary
🌳 A green shrub 🪵 A hard wood
boxwood

boxwood

1 7.6
Hard light yellow wood from a small evergreen tree used for fine carving and instrument parts
  • noun
  • /ˈbɑksˌwʊd/
translation icon : madera de boj
  • She had that morning prepared a new block of boxwood as soon as she got back home.
  • carved boxwood
  • boxwood made from solid wood

Examples

  • A boxwood comb got the knots out of Lady Dai's hair; a thinner-toothed version smoothed it down.

    Academic text (2009)

  • I found the most glorious boxwood spirals.

  • Our guitars are made of boxwood.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The floor under my toes was of boxwood planks, smooth and cool and flat.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • And at home, in the attic workroom, she stared at the paper pattern for Tansy's portrait, unable to carve the first line in the boxwood block.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • The artisan carefully crafted the violin body from boxwood to enhance its tonal quality.

  • Many woodworkers prefer boxwood for intricate carvings due to its fine grain and durability.

  • The antique shop displayed a beautiful box with boxwood inlays, showcasing the artist's skill.

Synonyms

Turkish boxwood
vsboxwood
  • Specialized
9.9

A very hard light yellow wood used for fine carving, inlays, and musical instruments

is the general material term not tied to any region

Compounds

Turkish boxwood
  • Specialized
9.9

A very hard light yellow wood used for fine carving, inlays, and musical instruments

How Hard

ebony
4 5.5
oak
44 1.0
boxwood
1 7.6
pine
39 2.6
balsa
3 5.6

Surface Forms

boxwood singular
boxwoods plural

Morphology

boxwood = box + wood (transparent) = box + wood

Clearly formed from 'box' (the box tree) + 'wood', meaning the timber produced by that species.

Etymology

Boxwood names the hard, light wood of the box tree (Latin buxus), which craftsmen liked for small, detailed work such as instrument parts and carving. So boxwood refers to the fine, hard wood used for delicate woodwork.