teak

American  

[teek] / tik /

noun

1. a large East Indian tree, Tectona grandis, of the verbena family, yielding a hard, durable, resinous, yellowish-brown wood used for shipbuilding, making furniture, etc.

2. the wood of this tree.

3. any of various similar trees or woods.

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teak British  

/ tiːk /

noun

1. a large verbenaceous tree, Tectona grandis, of the East Indies, having white flowers and yielding a valuable dense wood

2. the hard resinous yellowish-brown wood of this tree, used for furniture making, etc

3. any of various similar trees or their wood

4. a brown or yellowish-brown colour

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Etymology

Origin of teak

1665–75; earlier teke < Portuguese teca < Malayalam tēkka

Example Sentences

Last October major luxury yacht maker Sunreef Yachts, based in Poland and Dubai, announced it was transitioning away from teak decking altogether.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

Netherlands-based shipyard Oceanco, which built the Koru for Bezos, was fined in late 2024 by the authorities there for using Myanmar teak in the yacht's interior.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

Whether the Koru's deck is also illegal Myanmar teak – or comes from legal plantations elsewhere – is under investigation in Germany, where the first importer of the deck's wood appears to have been based.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

"The problem for the alternatives is there is nothing quite like real teak," she says.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

On a patio beside the pool were a dozen teak lounge chairs, each with a white towel laid out atop the cushions.

From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green