What's the difference between a stick and a branch?
If I break a branch off a tree, can I call it a stick?
Thanks in advance!
If I break a branch off a tree, can I call it a stick?
Thanks in advance!
In my experience, a stick has been refined in some way, great or small. Branches by nature have branches. If you broke off a very small portion, stil having only one or two branches, you'd call it a twig. If the branch is trimmed and cut up for firewood, you'd call it a "stick of wood," or a log, if it were big enough in diameter. You'd continue to call it a branch only if it still has many branches on it, as opposed to "a branch in the road," which might have the shape of a "Y."
If a tree is cut up for building or other useful purposes, a wide, flat piece would be a board, whereas a piece whose non linear dimensions are more or less equal would be called a stick of lumber, if large enough for building purposes, or just a stick if small. Think of "ice cream on a stick," or "walking stick."
Here's a song lyric for you: "Come let's mix where Rockerfellers walk with sticks, or umberellas in their mitts; Puttin' on the Ritz." - Irving Berlin
If a tree is cut up for building or other useful purposes, a wide, flat piece would be a board, whereas a piece whose non linear dimensions are more or less equal would be called a stick of lumber, if large enough for building purposes, or just a stick if small. Think of "ice cream on a stick," or "walking stick."
Here's a song lyric for you: "Come let's mix where Rockerfellers walk with sticks, or umberellas in their mitts; Puttin' on the Ritz." - Irving Berlin
Comments
Re "sticks," round sticks (milled, or machined, rather than natural) as found in "Tinker Toys" (do they still have those?) are called "dowels." "Dowel pins" used to be used in assembling joints in houses or barns in the old days (rather than nails.) - still used in making wooden furniture (more expensive.) Metal dowel pins are used in machinery.
A branch or stick trimmed for applying punishment might be called a switch.