hedgewood

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/ˈhɛdʒwʊd/
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Wood connected with hedges, either the rare historical name for wood from a hedgerow or a regional name for Osage orange wood in the central United States.
Practice using hedgewood in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • After laying the hedge, the cut hedgewood was stacked beside the lane.
  • Dry hedgewood burns very hot, so it is handled carefully as fuel.
  • In that county, a load of hedgewood usually came from hedge trees.
  • The note distinguishes hedgewood from the living hedge itself.
  • The turner saved a dense piece of hedgewood for tool handles.

Similar words

underwood
hedge
brushwood
bow wood
kindling
bois d’arc
hedgerow wood
bodark
Osage orange wood
cuttings

Meanings

Wood from a hedge

noun
rural life
archaic
Wood that grows in a hedge or is cut from its trees and shrubs, especially in older rural writing.

Examples

  • The old estate account lists hedgewood with other rough fuel.
  • After laying the hedge, the cut hedgewood was stacked beside the lane.
  • Only a historical glossary is likely to call that pile hedgewood.
  • The note distinguishes hedgewood from the living hedge itself.
  • By winter, the trimmings had dried into usable hedgewood.

Similar words

hedgerow wood
brushwood
underwood
firewood
kindling
cuttings

Osage orange wood

noun
woodworking
informal
In parts of the central United States, the hard yellow wood of the Osage orange tree, a tree long planted as living hedge and later valued for durable posts, bows, turnings, and fuel.

Examples

  • Around the farm, hedgewood meant the yellow wood of Osage orange.
  • The old hedgewood posts were still sound after decades in the ground.
  • Dry hedgewood burns very hot, so it is handled carefully as fuel.
  • The turner saved a dense piece of hedgewood for tool handles.
  • In that county, a load of hedgewood usually came from hedge trees.

Similar words

Osage orange wood
bois d’arc
bodark
hedge
hedge apple wood
bow wood

Etymology

Formed in English from hedge and wood. The Oxford English Dictionary records hedge-wood as a noun, and USDA NRCS records hedge as an alternate name for Osage orange, whose wood became associated with living fences and durable fence posts.

FAQ

What does hedgewood mean?

Hedgewood can mean wood from a hedge in older writing, or regionally the wood of the Osage orange tree.

Is hedgewood a fence?

No. A fence is the barrier itself. Hedgewood refers to wood connected with a hedge or, regionally, Osage orange wood.

Why can hedgewood mean Osage orange wood?

Osage orange is also called hedge in USDA sources because it was widely planted as a living fence, so its wood can be called hedgewood in regional use.

Is hedgewood common today?

No. In most contexts, hedgerow wood, brushwood, or Osage orange wood will be clearer.

How is hedgewood different from hedgerow?

A hedgerow is the line of shrubs or trees. Hedgewood is the wood from that growth or, in the US regional sense, Osage orange wood.

Comments & contributions

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Modest Pangolin
Jul 12
came here because a furniture listing said hedgewood and I thought it was some fancy brand name
0
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Humble Gazelle
Jul 12
So the fruit is hedge apple, the wood can be hedgewood, and neither one is an orange. English is rude lol
0
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Gentle Flamingo
Jul 11
Bois d arc always trips people up. In north Texas I hear bodark more than the French-looking spelling
1
Reply
Teal Stork
Jul 7
the yellow color is not just pretty, shavings can make water go yellow. learned that from a turner and thought he was messing with me
1
Reply
Solar Finch
Jul 5
i had never seen hedgewood written solid until this page. Around me it was always hedge wood, two words
2
Reply
Contribution
Civil Moth
Jul 5
For fence posts, the old advice is to work it green if you can. Once Osage orange dries down it is so hard you end up drilling holes or bending nails instead of just stapling wire.
6
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Contribution
Snappy Mole
Jun 25
my only warning with hedgewood firewood is dont treat it like maple. Closed stove, small pieces. It throws sparks and gets way hotter than you expect
7
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Tawny Sandpiper
Jun 29
one log can be plenty, seriously
1
Windy Capybara
Jul 3
yep, we never used it in the fireplace unless the screen was doing overtime
0
Contribution
Humble Reindeer
Jun 17
around Kansas and Oklahoma, if somebody says hedge wood or just hedge for a post, they probably mean Osage orange. Not a clipped garden hedge. The local word follows the old living-fence tree.
15
Reply
Rainy Mole
Jun 20
same in Missouri, my grandpa never said Osage unless he was talking to a nursery person
2
Chipper Horse
Jun 23
yeah and bodark/bois d arc gets mixed in too, depends who taught you
1
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