Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “wood” come from?

Wood comes from Old English wudu, from Proto-Indo-European widʰu-, ultimately deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root weydʰ-.

wood (English): The substance making up the central part of the...

Definitions

  1. The substance making up the central part of the...

Ancestry of “wood”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwodemadness, insanity, an overmastering emotion,...
2Old Englishwuduwood; forest, woods; tree
3Old Englishwiduwood, forest, grove; tree; timber
4Proto-Germanicwiduzwood
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwidʰu-forest, wood; tree, beam

Words derived from “wood”

  • woods
  • wooden
  • Hollywood
  • wooded
  • Woodward
  • woody
  • Blackwood
  • hardwood
  • plywood
  • Kirkwood
  • brushwood
  • backwoods
  • woodpecker
  • driftwood
  • woodcut
  • redwood
  • cottonwood
  • Rosewood
  • underwood
  • sandalwood
  • rosewood
  • woodsman
  • woodworking
  • dogwood
Every word from Proto-Indo-European widʰu- →