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Glite Dictionary
underwood

underwood

31 8.0
Low bushes and small trees that grow under taller trees in a forest
  • noun
  • /ˈʌndərˌwʊd/
translation icon : sotobosque
  • The underwood and brambles of this vast forest are sufficient to burn up all his majestic cedars.

Examples

  • They announced that the ransom letter was typed on an Underwood portable.

    Swoon (1992)

  • The forest floor was covered in thick underwood, making it difficult to walk.

  • Jack Kerouac typed On the Road on a portable Underwood.

    Academic text (2016)

  • Many animals find shelter among the underwood of the trees.

  • The underwood in the woodland garden added diversity to the landscape.

Synonyms

underbrush
vsunderwood
11 5.6

Small plants, bushes, and young trees that grow under tall trees in a forest

is the same idea but used as a general name for that vegetation
undergrowth
vsunderwood
7 3.9

Low plants and bushes that grow under tall trees in a forest

is the general term for low vegetation that may not be dense
understory
vsunderwood
  • Specialized
1 5.1

A layer of small trees and plants under taller trees

focuses on the individual low plants rather than the structural forest layer

How Dense

jungle
383 1.0
thicket
22 5.1
brush
  • US
61 2.2
underwood
31 8.0
scrub
29 6.2

Surface Forms

underwood singular
underwoods plural

Morphology

underwood = wood (transparent) = under + wood

The meaning 'low-growing trees beneath taller trees' follows directly from 'under' + 'wood' and is readily inferable by learners who know the components. [Postprocessing: moved 'under' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Underwood comes from the simple parts under 'below' and wood 'trees', so picture the bushes and young trees that live under taller trees. That's why underwood means the low-growing trees and plants that grow beneath the taller trees in a wood.