copal

American  

[koh-puhl, -pal] / ˈkoʊ pəl, -pæl /

noun

copals plural

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

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copal British  

/ -pæl, ˈkəʊpəl /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• copals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of copal

1570–80; < Mexican Spanish < Nahuatl copalli

Example Sentences

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

Still, copal can be up to 3 million years old.

From Science Daily • Mar. 22, 2024

Next, she lights copal, an incense which is believed to guide the souls, and places foods such as apples, peanuts and bread.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 1, 2023

Traditionally, a resin known as copal would be burned, “but this is what grows here, so I’m going to use what’s local,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2021

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

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer