sapwood

noun

sap·wood | \ ˈsap-ˌwu̇d

Definition of sapwood

: the younger softer living or physiologically active outer portion of wood that lies between the cambium and the heartwood and is more permeable, less durable, and usually lighter in color than the heartwood

Examples of sapwood in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Use a water repellent on all exterior redwood, especially for sapwood-containing grades. — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 29 May 2021 There are also grades available containing some sapwood, which will be a bit cheaper. — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 29 May 2021 Researchers have successfully used a 1-cubic-inch block of pine sapwood as a water filter. — Popular Science, 2 Nov. 2020 The sapwood’s structure already performs a filtering action in the living wood, screening out air bubbles from the tree sap. — Popular Science, 2 Nov. 2020 First, the woodpeckers drill through the resinous sapwood, stopping occasionally to let the sap build up on the exterior, which forms a protective plate around the two-to-three-inch-wide entry hole. — National Geographic, 17 Sep. 2020 The construction-common and deck-common grades of redwood decking are both streaked with sapwood and contain knots. — Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, 7 June 2020 The RegisTree—a knotty trunk with a computer, camera, and printer embedded in its sapwood—presented me with options: aqua, digi, mycoverse, bee, seedling. — Michael Calore, Wired, 11 Feb. 2020 Eight of the 13 samples were narrowed down to be dated between 40 and 60 A.D., using the sapwood present. — Fox News, 7 Dec. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sapwood.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.