dogwood
dogwood Lexical Profile
dogwood Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The extremely hard, dense, close-grained wood of a dogwood tree, historically prized for making textile shuttles, tool handles, mallets, and skewers.
"Because dogwood resists splintering under friction, weavers long favored it for crafting loom shuttles."
Any of several non-showy shrubs or small trees of the genus Cornus or unrelated genera, noted for their brightly colored winter stems, opposite smooth-margined leaves, and clusters of small drupes rather than prominent floral bracts.
"Red twig dogwood is often planted along stream banks to prevent soil erosion and provide winter color."
Any of various deciduous trees or shrubs of the genus Cornus (family Cornaceae), especially the North American flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), widely cultivated as an ornamental for its showy spring blossoms composed of four large, petal-like white, pink, or red floral bracts surrounding a tight cluster of tiny greenish-yellow flowers.
"The front lawn was brightened in early April by a blooming pink dogwood."
• Rhymes for dogwood
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Dating back to the 16th century, "dogwood" is an alteration of earlier "dagwood," from the obsolete English noun "dag" (meaning a sharp point, skewer, or dagger), because the hard, fine-grained wood of the tree was traditionally used to make butcher's skewers and arrows.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.