copal

American

[koh-puhl, -pal] / ˈkoʊ pəl, -pæl /

noun

a hard, lustrous resin obtained from various tropical trees and used chiefly in making varnishes.

copal British

/ -pæl, ˈkəʊpəl /

noun

a hard aromatic resin, yellow, orange, or red in colour, obtained from various tropical trees and used in making varnishes and lacquers

"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

Etymology

Origin of copal

1570–80; < Mexican Spanish < Nahuatl copalli

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.

The scent of copal, a tree resin used by Mesoamerican cultures for spiritual, medicinal and practical rituals, wafts through the space.

From Salon • Oct. 13, 2024

The specimen in the Colombian copal appears to be a jumping spider.

From Science Daily • Mar. 22, 2024

This pretty kit contains mountain sage, frankincense, myrrh and white copal resin; a Selenite stick; crystals and a palo santo stick for smudging.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 16, 2023

Inside the bag was a small metal tray, a roll of charcoal disks and a bag of sticky, golden resin I would later learn was copal.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 9, 2022

“It’s only the copal incense we burn for the dead,” Consuela said.

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023