Did you know?
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
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2025
The Romans established Londinium just north of the river’s marshy valley after invading Britain in 43 C.E. Colossal wooden quays stood on the ancient settlement’s riverbank.
—Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Apr. 2025
The efforts begin at the paperless check-in, where guests are given environmentally smart wooden keys instead of plastic keys.
—Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2025
The area of the roof accessible to the residents is not very big—under a pergola there is a sturdy wooden table with seating for four.
—David Bezmozgis, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 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 12 Apr. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share