wooden

English

Alternative forms

  • wodden (obsolete)

Etymology

From wood + -en. Dates from 1530s, gradually replaced treen (made from a tree), from Middle English treen, from Old English trēowen.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈwʊdən/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -ʊdən

Adjective

wooden (comparative more wooden, superlative most wooden)

  1. Made of wood.
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 12, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      There were many wooden chairs for the bulk of his visitors, and two wicker armchairs with red cloth cushions for superior people. From the packing-cases had emerged some Indian clubs, […], and all these articles […] made a scattered and untidy decoration that Mrs. Clough assiduously dusted and greatly cherished.
    a wooden boat
    On a recent windy day, hundreds of visitors climbed wooden stairs to take pictures in front of the glacier.
    (file)
  2. (figuratively) As if made of wood; moving awkwardly, or speaking with dull lack of emotion.
    wooden acting

Translations

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