Humans have been making objects out of wood since before there even was an English language, but the adjectival use of "wood" didn't come into being until the 14th century, and "wooden" didn't appear until the 16th. (The word wood has ancient roots, but it originally existed only as a noun.) In Middle English, the adjective of choice was "tree" or "treen," as in a "tree vessel" or "treen shoes." "Treen" in turn came from the Old English word trēowen, from the noun "trēow" ("tree") and the suffix -en, which was used to indicate that something was composed of a certain material. As far as we know, no one ever used "treen" figuratively to describe things that are stiff as a board, but "wooden" was put to broader use soon after it was first recorded.
The guest speaker was wooden and uninspiring. a movie with wooden dialogue
Recent Examples on the WebThis platform seems to float in dark space, with no wooden frame or legs visible below. John Wilmerding, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2022 Photos showed the all that was left after the fire was the charred wooden frame. Cory Shaffer, cleveland, 26 Aug. 2022 This Razzle Dazzle unicorn art kit gives the gift recipient the opportunity to make a fabulously sparkly piece of art, featuring a rainbow unicorn, gem tray, and wooden frame. Ysolt Usigan, Woman's Day, 16 Aug. 2022 One of its most endangered forests belongs to the Parakanã in the Apyterewa Indigenous Territory, where Kawore stood watching the wooden house.Washington Post, 27 July 2022 Kurtycz took photos of Ms. Grobet breaking through a sheet of metallic paper stretched across a wooden frame. Harrison Smith, BostonGlobe.com, 23 July 2022 This handsome contemporary faux leather sleeper sofa features a solid and manufactured wooden frame, queen mattress, and removable seat cushions. Rachel Klein, Popular Mechanics, 1 July 2022 Property records show that the wooden two-story house was built in 1983. Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 23 May 2022 His mother and sisters were at home, in a wooden house; his father was out conducting fire patrols.New York Times, 15 May 2022 See More