Standard Lemma guide

sapwood

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈsapwʊd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The wood just under the bark of a stem or branch; it differs from the heartwood in color and in physiologic activity (flow of sap).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • A popular myth is that sapwood is not as strong as heartwood.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

newly formed outer wood lying between the cambium and the heartwood of a tree or woody plant; usually light colored; active in water conduction

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: wood

History

Etymology

From sap + wood.

Across languages

Translations

49 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: خَشَب النُّسْغِ (ḵašab an-nusḡi) — wood just under the bark
  • Arabic: خَشَب كَاذِب (ḵašab kāḏib) — wood just under the bark
  • Armenian: ենթակեղեւաշերտ (entʻakeġewašert) — wood just under the bark
  • Armenian: արտաբնափայտ (artabnapʻayt) — wood just under the bark
  • Bulgarian: беловина (belovina) — wood just under the bark
  • Catalan: albeca — wood just under the bark
  • Chinese Mandarin: 邊材 /边材 (biāncái) — wood just under the bark
  • Dutch: spinthout — wood just under the bark
  • Esperanto: alburno — wood just under the bark
  • Finnish: manto — wood just under the bark
  • Finnish: pintapuu — wood just under the bark
  • French: aubier — wood just under the bark
  • Galician: sámago — wood just under the bark
  • Galician: samo — wood just under the bark
  • Galician: ámago — wood just under the bark
  • German: Splintholz — wood just under the bark
  • Irish: sú-adhmad — wood just under the bark
  • Italian: alburno — wood just under the bark
  • Japanese: 辺材 (henzai) — wood just under the bark
  • Korean: 변재 (byeonjae) — wood just under the bark
  • Latin: alburnum — wood just under the bark
  • Macedonian: бело́вина (belóvina) — wood just under the bark
  • Malecite-Passamaquoddy: skitahqem — wood just under the bark
  • Māori: taitea — wood just under the bark
  • Persian: برونچوب (borun-čub) — wood just under the bark
  • Polish: biel — wood just under the bark
  • Portuguese: alburno — wood just under the bark
  • Portuguese: samo — wood just under the bark
  • Portuguese: borne — wood just under the bark
  • Romanian: alburn — wood just under the bark
  • Romansh: lain alv — wood just under the bark
  • Russian: за́болонь (zábolonʹ) — wood just under the bark
  • Russian: о́болонь (óbolonʹ) — wood just under the bark
  • Russian: подко́рье (podkórʹje) — wood just under the bark
  • Russian: мезга́ (mezgá) — wood just under the bark
  • Spanish: albura — wood just under the bark
  • Spanish: alburno — wood just under the bark
  • Swedish: splintved — wood just under the bark
  • Swedish: splint — wood just under the bark
  • Swedish: vitved — wood just under the bark
  • Swedish: ytved — wood just under the bark
  • Tagalog: banakal — wood just under the bark
  • Tagalog: dagtaing kahoy — wood just under the bark
  • Tày: cáp — wood just under the bark
  • Ukrainian: за́болонь (zábolonʹ) — wood just under the bark
  • Vietnamese: dác — wood just under the bark
  • Walloon: åbon — wood just under the bark
  • Walloon: blanc bwès — wood just under the bark
  • Welsh: gwynnin — wood just under the bark