softwood
/ˈsɒftwʊd/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsɔːftwʊd/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsȯft-ˌwu̇d/ (ame, mw)
softwood — noun
- softwoodsingular
- softwoodsplural
1. the light, cheap wood that comes from trees like pine and fir, which keep their
the light, cheap wood that comes from trees like pine and fir, which keep their leaves all year and grow quickly; also the tree itself.
The carpenter built the garden shed from cheap softwood instead of oak.
softwood as the material for everyday building
Most of the planks at the timber yard were softwood from northern pine forests.
Takeshi sanded the softwood until the surface felt smooth under his fingers.
Builders often choose softwood because it is light and easy to cut.
A row of tall softwoods lined the path up to the mountain cabin.
- hardwood
wood from slower-growing broad-leaved trees such as oak; denser and more expensive
用法筆記
Usually uncountable when it means the material (a pile of softwood), but countable when it means the trees (a forest of softwoods). Often contrasted with 'hardwood', which comes from slower-growing broad-leaved trees.
常見錯誤
softwood — adjective
- softwoodpositive
- more softwoodcomparative
- most softwoodsuperlative
1. made from the cheap, light wood of pine, fir, or similar quick-growing trees.
made from the cheap, light wood of pine, fir, or similar quick-growing trees.
Camila painted the softwood shelves white to match her bedroom wall.
softwood + noun, describing what the object is made of
The cabin had softwood floors that creaked gently with every step.
Gabriel replaced the old door frame with a lighter softwood one.
The school bought plain softwood desks because they cost so little.
- pine
used the same way before a noun (pine table); names the wood type more exactly
- hardwood
made of denser, costlier wood such as oak or walnut
用法筆記
Only used before a noun (a softwood door), never after 'be' — you say 'the door is made of softwood', not 'the door is softwood' in careful writing.