What does hardwood mean?
Hardwood is wood obtained from broad-leaved trees, especially deciduous trees such as oak, maple, walnut, and mahogany. It is commonly used for furniture, flooring, cabinetry, musical instruments, and other products in which a dense, durable material is useful. The term is also used attributively, as in hardwood flooring or hardwood furniture. Although hardwood is generally harder and denser than softwood, its name is based primarily on the type of tree from which the wood comes rather than on a precise test of physical hardness. Some broad-leaved woods, including balsa, are extremely soft, while some coniferous woods are comparatively hard. Hardwood therefore combines a practical commercial category with a broad botanical distinction. In everyday use, it often conveys solidity, quality, and traditional craftsmanship, though these associations are not always literal.
Wood obtained from broad-leaved trees, especially deciduous trees, and generally denser than wood from coniferous trees.
"This cabinet is made from solid hardwood."
The word commonly functions as a mass noun, although hardwooods may be used to refer to multiple kinds of hardwood.
Made of or relating to hardwood.
"They chose hardwood doors for the hallway."
This use is common in compound terms such as hardwood furniture and hardwood flooring.
Usually a mass noun; the plural is uncommon and generally appears when different kinds or species of hardwood are being discussed.
"The workshop stocks several rare hardwoods from Central and South America."
Not all hardwood is physically hard: balsa, for example, is technically hardwood because it comes from a broad-leaved tree, even though it is exceptionally soft.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hardwood come from?
Hardwood is an English compound formed from the native Germanic elements hard and wood, and it has been attested since the late Middle English period. Its original sense contrasted hard or dense wood with softer wood; the modern convention associates the term primarily with wood from broad-leaved trees. Its relatives hardness, harden, and hardly all continue the inherited Germanic root represented by hard.
How hardwood is actually used
The term is neutral in ordinary and technical contexts, but commercial descriptions may associate it with quality and durability. Its botanical classification does not reliably indicate physical hardness, since some broad-leaved woods are very soft.
Easily confused with hardwood
Hardwood comes from broad-leaved trees, whereas softwood comes from coniferous trees; despite the names, neither category is defined consistently by physical hardness.