firewood

IPA/ˈfaɪəwʊd/
KK[fˈaɪɚwˌʊd]IPA/ˈfaɪərwʊd/

firewood — noun

1. pieces of wood that have been cut or collected to be burned in a fire, such as f

1.nounB1
Definition

pieces of wood that have been cut or collected to be burned in a fire, such as for heating a home, cooking a meal, or keeping a campfire going.

Example

Every autumn, Rohan helps his grandfather chop firewood for the winter months.

collocation: chop firewood

The campers gathered dry firewood before the rain started to fall.

collocation: gather dry firewood

Common collocations
  • chop / split firewood
  • gather / collect firewood
  • stack firewood
  • burn firewood
  • dry / green firewood
  • pile / stack / bundle / cord of firewood
  • armful / load of firewood
Synonyms
  • wood

    broader term for the material from trees; not limited to burning use

  • kindling

    small, thin pieces of dry wood used specifically to start a fire

  • fuel

    any material burned for energy (coal, gas, wood); much broader in scope

  • logs

    larger pieces of cut wood, often used as firewood but also for building

Usage Note

Uncountable noun — use 'a piece of firewood' or 'a log of firewood' to refer to a single item. 'A cord of firewood' is a standard measurement (a stack 4 ft × 4 ft × 8 ft).

Common Mistakes

I burned a firewood
I burned some firewood
firewood is uncountable and does not take 'a' directly.
There are many firewoods in the shed
There is a lot of firewood in the shed
firewood has no plural form.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Firewood 特指作為燃料使用的木頭，著重於燃燒的用途。Wood 是最廣泛的詞，指構成樹木的物質，用途包含建築、工藝與燃燒。Timber 與 lumber 均指經加工後用於建築的木材，不強調燃燒用途。Kindling 指用來生火的小乾柴或細枝，體積比 firewood 小得多，通常先用 kindling 點火，再加入較大的 firewood。Fuel 是泛指任何燃料（木材、煤炭、汽油等），範圍比 firewood 廣得多。例如：先拿一些 kindling 點火，再加入較大的 firewood，等火勢穩定後，可能需要維修 wooden 房屋的 timber 結構。

wood ↗timber ↗lumber ↗kindling ↗fuel ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • chop firewood
  • split firewood
  • gather firewood
  • collect firewood
  • stack firewood
  • burn firewood

Prepositions

  • for (firewood for the winter)
  • of (a pile of firewood / a bundle of firewood / a cord of firewood / a load of firewood)

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Firewood comes from Old English fȳrwudu, a compound of fȳr ('fire') and wudu ('wood'). The word has remained largely unchanged in meaning for over a thousand years.