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Humans have been making objects out of wood since before there even was an English language, but the adjectival use of "wood" didn't come into being until the 14th century, and "wooden" didn't appear until the 16th. (The word wood has ancient roots, but it originally existed only as a noun.) In Middle English, the adjective of choice was "tree" or "treen," as in a "tree vessel" or "treen shoes." "Treen" in turn came from the Old English word trēowen, from the noun "trēow" ("tree") and the suffix -en, which was used to indicate that something was composed of a certain material. As far as we know, no one ever used "treen" figuratively to describe things that are stiff as a board, but "wooden" was put to broader use soon after it was first recorded.
Examples of wooden in a Sentence
Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 28 Feb. 2025
The atmosphere is laid-back, with a minimalist but cozy interior - think wooden shelves stacked with bottles, a long communal table, and a warm, unpretentious vibe.
—Paul Caputo, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
There are concrete planters, wooden doors, armoires, sideboards, chinoiserie urns, and thousands of other items, mostly sourced in European markets.
—Jenny Adams, Southern Living, 27 Feb. 2025
There were also wooden liquor tokens from 1920s and 1930s France to relay memories from that time in contrast to today’s world.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wooden
Cite this Entry
“Wooden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wooden. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
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