growth ring

noun

: a layer of wood (such as an annual ring) produced during a single period of growth

Examples of growth ring in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The logs can be cut, milled, sanded and finished just like real wood, and the layers mimic the growth rings of a tree, making the product as aesthetically pleasing as the real thing. Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 10 July 2025 Their growth rings are narrow, their wood dense and their architecture asymmetrical. Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 27 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 The fresh cuts across a log would expose the growth rings, marking the years that a tree had stood. Rev. Steve Larson, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2024 See All Example Sentences for growth ring

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of growth ring was in 1907

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Cite this Entry

“Growth ring.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/growth%20ring. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

growth ring

noun
: a layer of wood (as an annual ring) produced during a single period of growth

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