buttonwood

American  

[buht-n-wood] / ˈbʌt nˌwʊd /

noun

1. Chiefly Eastern New England. sycamore.

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buttonwood British  

/ ˈbʌtənˌwʊd /

noun

1. Also called: buttonball.  a North American plane tree, Platanus occidentalis See plane tree

2. a small West Indian tree, Conocarpus erectus , with button-like fruits and heavy hard compact wood: family Combretaceae

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Etymology

Origin of buttonwood

An Americanism dating back to 1665–75; button + wood ¹

Example Sentences

Technology has transformed markets from the days when brokers gathered under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street to the digital age.

From Barron's

Since that document was signed on May 17, 1792, by 24 stockbrokers who often conducted business under a buttonwood tree outside 68 Wall St., the financial markets have eagerly embraced new technologies.

From The Wall Street Journal

But before ripping the trees out, they planted replacement conocarpus trees, or buttonwoods, nearby and gave them time to grow.

From Washington Post

Sycamores are also called buttonwoods because they’re good for making buttons.

From New York Times

The Bogans came to love the rough appeal of the buttonwood, named, supposedly, because Native Americans used its hard wood for buttons.

From Washington Post