sandalwood

American  

[san-dl-wood] / ˈsæn dlˌwʊd /

noun

• sandalwoods
  plural

1. the fragrant heartwood of any of certain Asian trees of the genus Santalum, used for ornamental carving and burned as incense.

2. any of these trees, especially S. album white sandalwood, an evergreen of India, having ovate leaves and yellowish flowers that turn red.

3. any of various related or similar trees or their woods, especially an East Indian tree, Pterocarpus santalinus red sandalwood, of the legume family, or its heavy dark-red wood that yields a dye.

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sandalwood British  

/ ˈsændəlˌwʊd /

noun

1. any of several evergreen hemiparasitic trees of the genus Santalum, esp S. album ( white sandalwood ), of S Asia and Australia, having hard light-coloured heartwood: family Santalaceae

2. the wood of any of these trees, which is used for carving, is burned as incense, and yields an aromatic oil used in perfumery

3. any of various similar trees or their wood, esp Pterocarpus santalinus ( red sandalwood ), a leguminous tree of SE Asia having dark red wood used as a dye

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sandalwoods
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sandalwood

First recorded in 1505–15; sandal ² + wood ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sandalwood sandalwoods

“As a lover of sweet smells, I really enjoyed this cocoa-inspired scent. The cedar and sandalwood notes were stronger at the end and gave nice, beachy vibes.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026

Great British Chefs specified that tonka’s “most distinctive feature” is their “enormous potency — heady vanilla flavours, with oily clove aromas, and perfumed magnolia, sandalwood notes.”

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2025

That’s because scent isn’t simply the notes — say vanilla, sandalwood, tuberose; it’s about the feeling they evoke.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2025

Camphor and sandalwood for the gods were sourced from Sumatra and Borneo.

From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2025

He smells like ocean and sandalwood, even though we’re miles away from any coastline.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

I have eight sandalwoods and six patchoulis to choose from.

From New York Times ● Jul. 28, 2010

Once under the cool, grateful shade of the dark green foliage of the sandalwoods, they quietly awaited to be inspected, and Fraser and Gerrard slowly walked their horses about among them.

From Tom Gerrard by Louis Becke