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ligneous

/ˈlɪgniəs/
IPA guide

If something's made of wood, or looks like it is, it's ligneous. A tree is a ligneous plant. A stiff politician is a ligneous person.

Ligneous is a technical term, the kind that scientists like, so if you want to describe something as wood-like in a casual conversation or an informal piece of writing, it's probably best to go with, well, wood-like, or woody. Use ligneous if you're deliberately trying to sound like someone who spends a lot of time looking into a microscope.

Definitions of ligneous
  1. adjective
    consisting of or resembling wood
    ligneous (or woody) tissue”
    synonyms:
    woody
    made of or containing or resembling wood
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