Woodcutters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of individuals who cut down trees for timber or fuel while often working in a forested environment
2. Workers engaged in the practice of harvesting trees by felling them, typically for the purpose of producing wood products
3. People skilled in the art of tree removals, often using saws and axes to obtain lumber or firewood from wooded areas

Etymology: "Woodcutters" is simply the plural of "woodcutter," a compound made from "wood" and "cutter." The first part is the familiar Old English "wudu," meaning a forest or stand of trees as well as the timber itself. The second part comes from "cut," with the "-er" ending that marks a person who performs an action, so a cutter is one who cuts. Put together, the compound describes someone whose work is cutting wood, whether felling trees in a forest or chopping timber for fuel and building. Because both parts are plain English words, the term needs no special history to explain it: it is a transparent formation that says exactly what the person does.

Synonyms: lumberjacks, loggers, foresters, tree fellers, sawyers