Woodsiest

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Most strongly evoking the feel, look, or scent of a forest or wooded area
2. Having the richest qualities of woods, such as rustic greenery, earthy smells, or sylvan atmosphere
3. Displaying the most characteristic traits of a forest, as in shady, leafy, or timbered surroundings

Etymology: "Woodsiest" is the superlative of "woodsy," so it names the most woodland-like thing in a comparison, and it is built from two plain English pieces. The base is "woods," the plural of "wood," and the suffix "-y" means "having the quality of," so "woodsy" describes something with the character of a forest. The more useful story is why the extra "s" is there. English already had "woody," meaning made of wood or having wood-like properties, such as a woody stem or a woody flavour. Speakers needed a separate word for the atmosphere of the forest itself, so "woods" was given the suffix instead, and the two adjectives now sit side by side with different jobs. The same logic gives "woodsy" its superlative, the form the word has taken in use.

Synonyms: rustic, sylvan, forested

Antonyms: urban, barren