gopher wood

American  

[goh-fer wood] / ˈgoʊ fər ˌwʊd /

noun

1. (in the Bible) an unidentified wood used in building Noah's ark.

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gopher wood British  

noun

1. the wood used in the construction of Noah's ark, thought to be a type of cypress (Genesis 6:14)

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Etymology

Origin of gopher wood

First recorded in 1605–15; from Hebrew gōpher, of uncertain meaning

Example Sentences

How old Noah built him an ark, How old Noah built him an ark, How old Noah built him an ark, Of gopher wood and hickory bark.

From Southern War Songs Camp-Fire, Patriotic and Sentimental by Various

Noah had begun building a vast ship, of a size well beyond the scope of any known shipwright of the day, out of gopher wood.

From Si'Wren of the Patriarchs by Cheney, Roland Jon

The people will walk upon planks of fir and boards of cedar, sycamore from the plains and algum-trees, gopher wood and Georgia pine, inlaid in forms of wondrous grace.

From Homes and How to Make Them by Gardner, E. C. (Eugene Clarence)

But of gopher wood there was none to be had.

From Saboteurs on the River by Wirt, Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine)

Make an ark for thyself of gopher wood.'

From The Legends of the Jews — Volume 1 by Szold, Henrietta