corkwood

American  

[kawrk-wood] / ˈkɔrkˌwʊd /

noun

1. a stout shrub or small tree, Leitneria floridana, having light green deciduous leaves, woolly catkins, and a drupaceous fruit.

2. any of certain trees and shrubs yielding a light and porous wood, as the balsa.

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corkwood British  

/ ˈkɔːkˌwʊd /

noun

1. a small tree, Leitneria floridana, of the southeastern US, having very lightweight porous wood: family Leitneriaceae

2. any other tree with light porous wood

3. the wood of any of these trees

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Etymology

Origin of corkwood

First recorded in 1750–60; cork + wood ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

corkwood

A few quandongs, or native peach trees, exist amongst these gullies; also a tree that I only know by the name of the corkwood tree.

From Australia Twice Traversed, Illustrated, by Giles, Ernest

Everything bore a peculiar hue of green, from the groves of myrtle, pimento and corkwood to the grassy plots, the natural fields of oats and even to the moss-covered rocks of the spinelike mountains.

From Jack North's Treasure Hunt Or, Daring Adventures in South America by Rockwood, Roy

It is about two inches in diameter, four-sided rather than round, with rough, corrugated, withered bark, in appearance similar to the corkwood bark used for rustic summer-houses in England.

From Life in an Indian Outpost by Casserly, Gordon

And from that hour until now, all corkwood trees lean toward the earth, as I will show thee, if thou wilt go with me to the beach where they grow.

From The Junior Classics — Volume 1 by Patten, William

North-Western Australia; to the verge of the tropics; Indian Archipelago; called in Australia the corkwood tree; valuable for various utilitarian purposes.

From Australia Twice Traversed, Illustrated, by Giles, Ernest