THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WOOD AND A FOREST (COMMENT).
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WOOD AND A FOREST (COMMENT). (In a letter in the TLS (April 26, 2018), Charles Lock pointed out that in Shakespeare’s time, “wood” and “forest” had different senses. He says:”‘Wood’ is a near homophone of ‘wode’ (mad)…A wood is a place of wildness, where madmen and outlaws tend to hide. A forest is a controlled space.”
Lock concluded: “…in Shakespeare’s plays the distinction remains: in a wood near Athens [in A Midsummer Night’s Dream] wild things happen, while Birnam Wood defies nature.”
The additional meaning of “rooky” emphasizes that woods and Birnam Woods in particular are treacherous places.