DEFINITIONS
The
2019 WORD
OF THE YEAR is...

beefwood

[ beef-woo d ]
/ ˈbifˌwʊd /

noun

any of several chiefly Australian trees of the genus Casuarina, having feathery branches that lack true foliage leaves.
the hard, reddish wood of any of these trees, used for making furniture.

Words nearby beefwood

beefsteak begonia, beefsteak fungus, beefsteak mushroom, beefsteak plant, beefsteak tomato, beefwood, beefy, beehive, beehive house, beehive round, beehive state

Origin of beefwood

First recorded in 1750–60; beef + wood1
Also called belah.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for beefwood

  • We could, by their tracks, see where they had herded together in fear under a beefwood tree not one hundred yards from us.

    Spinifex and Sand|David W Carnegie

British Dictionary definitions for beefwood

beefwood
/ (ˈbiːfˌwʊd) /

noun

any of various trees that produce very hard wood, esp the Australian tree Casuarina equisetifolia, widely planted in warm regionsSee casuarina
the wood of any of these trees

Word Origin for beefwood

from the red colour and grain
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012