bitterwood

American  

[bit-er-wood] / ˈbɪt ərˌwʊd /

noun

1. any of various chiefly tropical trees having wood with a bitter taste, as Vatairea lundelii or Simarouba glauca.

2. quassia.

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bitterwood British  

/ ˈbɪtəˌwʊd /

noun

1. any of several simaroubaceous trees of the genus Picrasma of S and SE Asia and the Caribbean, whose bitter bark and wood are used in medicine as a substitute for quassia

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Etymology

Origin of bitterwood

bitter + wood ¹

Example Sentences

The first of their three flavors, which include Aromatic and Dry, to come to the United States is Bitter, made with grapes, grapefruit, bay leaf, orange, oak and quassia, also known as bitterwood.

From New York Times • Aug. 14, 2020

Simarubace�, sim-a-rōō-bā′sē-ē, n.pl. a natural order of tropical trees and shrubs—bitter, used in dysentery, &c.—including quassia, bitterwood, and ailanto.—adj.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various