nemoral

ne•mor•al   (nem-er-uhl) /nɛmərəl/   adj

Definition
of or pertaining to groves or woodland

Related
Synonyms: arboraceous, forested, sylvan, timbered, tree-covered, tree-laden, treed, woody, wooded
Related Words: nemorous, full of trees; nemorivagant, wandering in a wood or forest; nemorose, growing in groves or woodland; nemophilous, fond of forests or woods, nemoricolous, nemoricoline, living in forests or groves

Examples
• Wildfires are rare events in the nemoral forest zone because litter decomposition is relatively fast and there is no large accumulation of flammable material.
• Of course, these men are exceptionally skillful craftsmen, the highest product of nemoral science and nemoral instinct combined ; and it may be urged that it is obviously unfair to compare them with the average man of another calling.

The Storyline
He stood before her slack-jawed and frozen, like some nemoral creature transfixed by oncoming headlights.

Origin
from French némoral or Latin nemoralis, from nemus "grove"

Sources: Wiktionary, AllWords.com

Why This Word:
Into the woods. Somewhere along the way most of our culture became estranged from the woods and the complex relationship humans have had with woodlands in the temperate zones for centuries. And with that went our vocabulary about the woods and our understanding. We clear cut trees, move into treeless subdivisions and navigate a barren landscape without the faintest twinge of loss or longing. But to the woods we are tied and always shall be. So into the words for woods we must go.

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