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A.Word.A.Day--dendrochronology

This week's theme: words from the plant kingdom.

dendrochronology (den-dro-kruh-NOL-uh-jee) noun

Tree-ring dating.

[From Greek dendro- (tree) + chronology (the science of determining dates of past events).]

Dendrochronology is the science of studying tree rings to date past events: climate, the date of construction of a house, etc. This is the idea: some trees add an annual ring. Each ring is unique as it depends on the climatic conditions during the year. By comparative study of these annual growth rings dendrochronologists can go back thousands of years and can often pinpoint the year quite precisely.

Time imprints on our faces the traces of life we've lived: laughs, pouts, frowns... all leave their mark. What would facial dendrochronology say about you?

-Anu Garg garg AT wordsmith.org

"With their reputations at risk, violin dealers closed ranks. They commissioned further dendrochronology that dated the Messiah's wood back to 1682." Toby Faber; Lord of the Strings; The Guardian (London, UK); Aug 27, 2004.

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