heartwood
noun
heart·wood
ˈhärt-ˌwu̇d 
: the older harder nonliving central wood of trees that is usually darker, denser, less permeable, and more durable than the surrounding sapwood
Examples of heartwood in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Her research also led her to local practices, including Hardanger embroidery, in which white linen or cloth is adorned with lacelike patterns in white thread, and the method of dyeing textiles using heartwood from logwood trees, which imbues fabric with a purplish tinge.
—
New York Times, 16 Apr. 2021
The dead wood can be major roots or the heartwood in the center of the trunk that gives the tree its strength.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 12 June 2023
Built by post-and-beam aficionado Tedd Benson of Bensonwood, the home features timber framing with heartwood pine beams, ceilings of tongue-and-groove pine, and Santos mahogany flooring.
—John R. Ellement, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Apr. 2023
The brown rot could be a fungus rotting out the oak’s heartwood.
—oregonlive, 26 Mar. 2023
Floors are the original antique heartwood pine.
—Sarah Paynter, WSJ, 28 Jan. 2022
Meaning that while the tree is alive, the fungus is actively decaying the roots and the heartwood in the lower portion of the trunk.
—oregonlive, 18 Dec. 2022
Yet in its heartwood, Future Library is just another time capsule—a popular response since the nineteenth century to the feeling of impending doom.
—Eleanor Cummins, The New Republic, 14 Oct. 2022
Houses have worn many species of wood over the years, but the two main types of wood siding are red and white cedar, both of which are naturally rot-resistant due to the fragrant tannic acids found in their heartwood.
—Jon Gorey, BostonGlobe.com, 17 July 2022
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New York Times, 16 Apr. 2021
The dead wood can be major roots or the heartwood in the center of the trunk that gives the tree its strength.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 12 June 2023
Built by post-and-beam aficionado Tedd Benson of Bensonwood, the home features timber framing with heartwood pine beams, ceilings of tongue-and-groove pine, and Santos mahogany flooring.
—John R. Ellement, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Apr. 2023
The brown rot could be a fungus rotting out the oak’s heartwood.
—oregonlive, 26 Mar. 2023
Floors are the original antique heartwood pine.
—Sarah Paynter, WSJ, 28 Jan. 2022
Meaning that while the tree is alive, the fungus is actively decaying the roots and the heartwood in the lower portion of the trunk.
—oregonlive, 18 Dec. 2022
Yet in its heartwood, Future Library is just another time capsule—a popular response since the nineteenth century to the feeling of impending doom.
—Eleanor Cummins, The New Republic, 14 Oct. 2022
Houses have worn many species of wood over the years, but the two main types of wood siding are red and white cedar, both of which are naturally rot-resistant due to the fragrant tannic acids found in their heartwood.
—Jon Gorey, BostonGlobe.com, 17 July 2022
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heartwood.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1575, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near heartwood
Cite this Entry
“Heartwood.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heartwood. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.
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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about heartwood
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