dendrochronology

noun

den·​dro·​chro·​nol·​o·​gy ˌden-(ˌ)drō-krə-ˈnä-lə-jē 

: the science of dating events and variations in environment in former periods by comparative study of growth rings in trees and aged wood

dendrochronological

ˌden-(ˌ)drō-ˌkrä-nə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 

-ˌkrō-

adjective

dendrochronologically

ˌden-(ˌ)drō-ˌkrä-nə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē 

-ˌkrō-

adverb

dendrochronologist

ˌden-(ˌ)drō-krə-ˈnä-lə-jist 

noun

Examples of dendrochronology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Researchers plan to determine how old the timber was when it was cut via dendrochronology, the study of tree rings. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 May 2025

The researchers used dendrochronology, or the study of tree rings, to determine the wood for one wreck came from the western region of the Baltic Sea, which included a region of Germany and Denmark, according to the release. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2025

Last year, researchers with Historic England used dendrochronology—a method of measuring tree growth rings—to date the Ashes. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2025

Thomsen and Schroeder have also sent a few samples to University of Wisconsin-Platteville for dendrochronology studies, because tree-ring data, which helps date the canoes, can also shed light on past climates. —Jacqueline Kehoe, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1928, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dendrochronology

• bacteriology
• biotechnology
• dialectology
• ecclesiology
• endocrinology
• epistemology
• geochronology
• geomorphology
• histopathology
• hydrogeology
• kinesiology
• meteorology