softwood

noun

Etymology: From soft + wood. The term refers to the seed coat, or absence thereof, of the tree's seeds; it does not refer to the degree of softness or hardness of the tree's wood, but it seems to do so and is usually assumed to do so by speakers not well informed about trees and timber.

1. The wood from any gymnosperm, without regard to its softness.

   “The bodies are sheeted in softwood, a double layer of ⅝-in. boards on the quarters, with a single thickness lining inside the steel ends.”

2. Wood of this kind, but limited to those that are commercial timbers.
3. The tree or tree species that yields this wood.

   “SYP is a softwood, but it is harder than many hardwoods.”

   “This softwood has been planted extensively throughout Scotland.”

4. Any commercial timber.

   “You should have used softwood for the frame of this shed, instead of overbuilding it like this.”