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Glite Dictionary
earlywood

earlywood

8.1
Light wood in a tree ring that forms at the start of the growing season
  • noun
  • /ˈɪrˌwʊd/
  • Specialized
: madera temprana
  • The earlywood is lighter in color and less dense compared to the darker latewood.
  • earlywood chronology

Examples

  • Each tree ring was exactly dated by using standard dendrochronologic methods described by Douglass (17), and earlywood and latewood growth increments were measured by using a stage micrometer.

    Academic text (2014)

  • The resultant earlywood width chronology represents a record of drought and wetness in east-central Mexico during 1474-2001.

    Academic text (2014)

  • Scientists study the earlywood to understand climate changes over the years.

  • The distinct layers of earlywood can reveal important information about a tree's growth conditions.

Synonyms

springwood
vsearlywood
  • Specialized
1 6.7

The soft, light part of a tree ring that grows in spring

is the same ring but described as forming at the season's start

Antonyms

latewood
  • Specialized
1 8.0

Darker, denser wood in a tree ring formed late in the year

How Dense

latewood
  • Specialized
1 8.0
earlywood
  • Specialized
8.1

Surface Forms

earlywood singular
earlywoods plural

Morphology

earlywood = early + wood (transparent) = early + wood

A direct compound: 'early' modifies 'wood' to indicate wood formed at the beginning of the growing season, which is readily deducible from the components.

Etymology

The word earlywood comes from the simple parts early, meaning 'near the beginning', and wood, meaning 'the tree's wood'. So, earlywood is the lighter, less dense wood a tree makes at the start of the growing season, which is why you see it as the pale band in tree rings.