mahogany

American  

[muh-hog-uh-nee] / məˈhɒg ə ni /

noun

plural

mahoganies

1. any of several tropical American trees of the genus Swietenia, especially S. mahagoni and S. macrophylla, yielding hard, reddish-brown wood used for making furniture.

2. the wood itself.

3. any of various similar trees or their wood.

4. a reddish-brown color.

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adjective

1. pertaining to or made of mahogany.

2. of the color mahogany.

mahogany British  

/ məˈhɒɡənɪ /

noun

1. any of various tropical American trees of the meliaceous genus Swietenia, esp S. mahagoni and S. macrophylla, valued for their hard reddish-brown wood

2. any of several trees with similar wood, such as African mahogany (genus Khaya ) and Philippine mahogany (genus Shorea )

3. 1. the wood of any of these trees See also acajou

   2. ( as modifier )

      a mahogany table

4. 1. a reddish-brown colour

   2. ( as modifier )

      mahogany skin

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Etymology

Origin of mahogany

First recorded in 1665–75; perhaps < some non-Carib language of the West Indies

Example Sentences

Its first owner, Argentine President Juan Perón, fell in love with the two-tone hardtop car, with a lustrous cream color on the roof and rich mahogany on the bottom, at the Paris Salon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

The court wasn't one of those historic rooms with lots of mahogany and Victorian furnishings.

From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026

“All of our mothers’ furniture and grandmothers’ furniture is very hard to sell because it’s mahogany, it’s vintage,” Hall said.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 30, 2025

Customers are increasingly being lured by brands like TimberTech, which dispense with wood altogether in favor of polyvinyl chloride patterned to resemble mahogany, teak, or hickory.

From Barron's • Nov. 7, 2025

To the left, through a slightly open door, I glimpse the red-flocked wallpaper and mahogany table and chairs of a dining room.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline