What does cedarwood mean?
Cedarwood is the timber of the cedar tree, a softwood prized since antiquity for its distinctive sweet, resinous aroma, natural resistance to rot and insect attack, and fine working qualities. Because of these properties it has long been used for chests, closets, and furniture meant to store clothing — the wood's oils deter moths — as well as for panelling, shingles, boats, and pencils. The term also extends to the essential oil distilled from the wood, a common ingredient in perfumes, soaps, and aromatherapy blends, where it lends a warm, woody base note. In everyday speech people more often say simply "cedar," reserving "cedarwood" chiefly for commercial, craft, and fragrance contexts. Connotations are warm, clean, and traditional: the scent evokes well-kept heirloom chests, saunas, and old libraries. Durable, fragrant, and culturally resonant, cedarwood remains one of the most recognisable and beloved woods in the world.
The aromatic, durable wood of the cedar tree, used especially for chests, closets, furniture, and construction.
"The sauna was panelled throughout in warm, honey-coloured cedarwood."
Usually uncountable; treated as a mass noun rather than counted piece by piece.
An essential oil obtained from cedar wood, used in perfumery and aromatherapy for its woody scent.
"A drop of cedarwood oil in the diffuser filled the room with a forest-fresh calm."
Rarely used in the plural; only appropriate when referring to distinct types or sources of cedar timber.
"The workshop stocked cedarwoods from several regions, each with its own grain and scent."
That classic smell of a hope chest or a pencil shavings tin? Often not true cedar at all — but genuine cedarwood oil has been prized for thousands of years for keeping moths away from precious fabrics.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cedarwood
Cedarwood is a compound of "cedar" and "wood." Cedar entered English in Old English times via Latin cedrus, borrowed from Greek kedros, the ancient name for the great conifers of the Levant — notably the celebrated cedars of Lebanon. The same Greek root gave rise through Latin citrus to "citrus" and "citron," making these distant botanical cousins of the word cedar. As a compound, cedarwood is a straightforward formation describing the tree's timber.
How cedarwood is actually used
"Cedarwood" is slightly more formal or commercial-sounding than plain "cedar"; it appears most often in product descriptions, perfumery, carpentry, and aromatherapy contexts. It is an uncountable mass noun in ordinary use.
Easily confused with cedarwood
Cedar refers to the tree itself (or loosely its timber), while cedarwood refers specifically to the wood cut from that tree.