second-growth
|sec-ond-growth|
🇺🇸
/ˌsɛkəndˈɡroʊθ/
🇬🇧
/ˌsɛkəndˈɡrəʊθ/
regrowth after initial clearing or disturbance
Etymology
'second-growth' originates from English as a compound of 'second' and 'growth'. 'Second' comes (via Old French) from Latin 'secundus', where 'secundus' meant 'following' or 'next'; 'growth' comes from Old English 'growan' (to grow), giving the noun sense of 'that which has grown.'
'second-growth' developed as a descriptive compound in English (attested from the 19th century) to denote vegetation that grows a second time after removal or disturbance; it appears both as the two-word form 'second growth' and later as the hyphenated 'second-growth.'
Initially it could be interpreted simply as 'a second instance of growth,' but over time it became specialized to mean 'regrowth of vegetation (especially forests) after cutting, fire, or clearance.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a forest, stand of trees, or vegetation that has regrown after a major disturbance such as logging, fire, or clearing; not old-growth or primary forest.
Much of the hillsides around the town are second-growth, with young trees and thick underbrush.
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Adjective 1
relating to or characteristic of second-growth vegetation or timber.
Second-growth timber is often used for less expensive construction and paper products.
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Last updated: 2025/12/02 12:49