A remote, sparsely settled region with thick forest; often used to describe isolated frontier areas.
From 'back' (rear, remote) plus 'wood' (Old English 'wudu'). Emerged in colonial America (1600s-1700s) to describe the forests beyond settlements.
The American backwoods were genuinely dangerous—they were home to wildlife, unfamiliar plants, and indigenous peoples with legitimate claims to the land, making 'backwoods' as much a mindset of uncertainty as an actual place.
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