Meaning & use
rosewood
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
A hard, dark, reddish-brown wood from several tropical trees, used for fine furniture and musical instruments.
Grammar: When talking about the material, use it without 'a': made of rosewood; not 'a rosewood'.
Patterns
- made of rosewood
- a rosewood table
- rosewood furniture
The guitar's back and sides are made of rosewood, which gives it a warm tone.
They restored an old rosewood desk that had been in the family for years.
Rosewood is prized by craftsmen for its rich color and dense grain.
nouncountable or uncountabletechnical
A tropical tree that produces this wood, or the wood from a particular species of such a tree.
Grammar: As a tree it is countable: a rosewood; as a material it is uncountable: rosewood.
Patterns
- a rosewood tree
- species of rosewood
- rosewoods are protected
Several rosewoods are now protected because they were heavily logged.
The forest is home to valuable rosewoods and other hardwood trees.
Scientists identified a new rosewood in the region last year.
Word forms
| plural | rosewoods |
|---|
Common combinations
- rosewood guitar
- Many professional guitarists prefer a rosewood guitar for its deep sound.
- rosewood furniture
- The antique shop specializes in rosewood furniture from Asia.
- made of rosewood
- The chess set is made of rosewood and maple.
- rosewood tree
- A single rosewood tree can be worth a lot of money.
- dark rosewood
- The floor was finished in dark rosewood to match the cabinets.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: rosewood or rosewood?
rosewood vs rosewood
Do not confuse with 'rose wood' as two words; the tree and timber name is written as one word.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'rosewood' correctly?
Choose one answer.
When referring to the material, 'rosewood' is uncountable, so 'made of rosewood' is correct. 'A rosewood' and 'rosewoods' wrongly treat the material as countable, and 'the rosewood' suggests a specific known piece rather than the material in general.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rosewood”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.