calaba
Americannoun
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a tree, Calophyllum brasiliense, of the West Indies and Central and South America, having leathery leaves and fragrant white flowers.
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the reddish wood of this tree.
Etymology
Origin of calaba
First recorded in 1745–55; from Colonial Spanish, from Carib; compare Galibi calaba, carapa “oil”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Calophyllum calaba.—This is called calaba tree in the West Indies, and an oil, fit for burning, is expressed from the seeds.
From Project Gutenberg
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
