latewood

1 8.0

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

noun
/ˈleɪtˌwʊd/

Specialized

: madera tardía

The latewood formed in the autumn months shows distinctive characteristics of growth.

Examples

Latewood is typically denser and darker compared to latewood in a tree's growth ring.
Researchers measured the latewood density to determine the tree's age accurately.
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)

Antonyms

earlywood

Specialized

8.1

Light wood in a tree ring that forms at the start of the growing season

How Dense

latewood

Specialized

1 8.0

earlywood

Specialized

8.1

Surface Forms

latewood singular

latewoods plural

Morphology

latewood = late + wood (semi-transparent) = late + wood

Formed from 'late' + 'wood' so the components are clear, but the precise botanical meaning (denser darker growth formed later in the annual ring) is specialized and not obvious to all learners.

Etymology

The word latewood is simply late + wood, where late means 'coming later' and wood is the tree material, so you can imagine it as the darker, denser wood a tree makes 'later in the year' in each yearly ring. That's why latewood is the stronger, darker part of a tree's growth ring.