What does boxwood mean?
Boxwood is a noun referring to any of several slow-growing evergreen shrubs or small trees of the genus Buxus, most commonly Buxus sempervirens, the common box. It is prized in gardens for its small, dense, glossy leaves and tolerance of clipping, making it the classic choice for hedges, parterre edging, knot gardens, and topiary — uses that lend it strong associations with formal European garden design. Boxwood is also the name of the timber produced by these trees: an exceptionally hard, heavy, fine-grained, pale-yellow wood traditionally valued for carving, wood engraving blocks, chessmen, tool handles, and parts of woodwind instruments. In American English, "boxwood" is the everyday term for the shrub, while British English often shortens it to "box," though "boxwood" remains standard when speaking of the wood itself. The word evokes order, craftsmanship, and enduring tradition, appearing frequently in both horticultural and artisanal writing.
An evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus Buxus, having small, glossy, oval leaves, commonly grown for hedging, edging, and topiary.
"Rows of boxwood lined the formal garden path."
In American English, "boxwood" is the usual name for the shrub; British speakers often say simply "box."
The hard, close-grained, yellowish wood of the box tree, valued for carving, engraving blocks, and small precision objects such as chess pieces and tool handles.
"He turned a delicate spindle from a piece of old boxwood."
This sense appears mainly in woodworking, printing, and instrument-making contexts.
"Boxwoods" is used chiefly when referring to individual plants or specimens in the garden sense; the mass noun "boxwood" covers the material or general category.
"The nursery stocks several varieties of boxwoods suitable for low hedging."
Boxwood is so dense it sinks in water — which is why chess pieces, engraver's blocks, and the finest musical instruments have long been made from it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of boxwood
The word "boxwood" is formed from "box," the name of the tree, plus "wood." The tree name "box" derives from Latin "buxus," which was borrowed into Old English as "box." Latin "buxus" itself came from Greek "pyxos" (πύξος), the ancient Greek term for the box tree. Related words include "buxom," which originally meant pliable or yielding (a quality of boxwood) before shifting to describe a full-figured woman, and the scientific genus name "Buxus." The compound "boxwood" has been used in English since at least the Middle Ages to denote both the plant and its valuable timber.
How boxwood is actually used
In garden contexts, "boxwood" typically denotes the living shrub, especially in American English; British usage more often says simply "box." The timber sense is common in woodworking, carving, and instrument-making contexts. In formal landscape design, "boxwood" carries connotations of formality, precision, and tradition (parterres, knot gardens).
Easily confused with boxwood
"Box" is the tree itself or the container; "boxwood" refers specifically to the tree/shrub or its timber.