greenwood
2
9.1
- noun
- Archaic
- Their orphans run wild in the greenwood.
Examples
-
The nearer Prince Arbol crept up on womanhood, the better a life in the merry greenwood was beginning to sound to Artemisia.
Fiction book (1993) -
The greenwood is the outlaw's friend.
-
Who do you suppose she'll meet under that greenwood tree?
-
We're simple, straightforward men of the greenwood, we are!
Fiction book (1993) -
Mary as maiden, young and blonde, as ripe and wild as the greenwood.
Fiction book (1999) -
He... cursed his friend, the mighty lord, and he was outlawed and went off into the greenwood.
-
The birds were still singing in the branches, quarreling and clattering their wings as the greenwood softened and dissolved.
Fiction book (1995) -
The children spent the afternoon playing games in the greenwood, enjoying the shade of the tall trees.
-
Legends tell of adventurous knights journeying through the greenwood in search of hidden treasures.
-
In the summer, the greenwood becomes a popular spot for picnics and storytelling.
Synonyms
24
2.6
Land with many trees and bushes, not a deep forest
How Leafy
Surface Forms
Morphology
greenwood = green + wood (semi-transparent) = green + wood
The components 'green' and 'wood' are obvious, but the sense is somewhat literary/archaic and refers to woodland especially in leaf or as a setting for adventure, which is a specialized nuance not fully predictable from the components for all learners.
Etymology
Greenwood is simply formed from green and wood, meaning 'green forest' or 'leafy woods'. In old stories the greenwood was the leafy place where people and animals lived or where outlaws like Robin Hood hid, so today it means a woodland full of leaves, often a quiet country retreat or a place of adventure.