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gopher wood

American  
[goh-fer wood] / ˈgoʊ fər ˌwʊd /

noun

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


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)

"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 gopher wood

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

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.

See Examples For:

I was in Virginia a play-chile when the ships come down to get the gopher wood to build the war ships.

From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves Arkansas Narratives, Part 3 by Work Projects Administration

Josselyn gives us to understand that the wood of the white pine is that mentioned in the Scriptures as gopher wood out of which Noah built the ark.

From Old Plymouth Trails by Packard, Winthrop

This sacred ark or ship, built of gopher wood, floated on the world's waves, until, in the seventh month, it rested upon the mountains of Ararat.

From Ancient States and Empires by Lord, John

Jehovah, having made up his mind to drown the world, told Noah to make an Ark of gopher wood three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high.

From Mistakes of Moses by Ingersoll, Robert Green

Or next the mariner-saint enlarge   Right quaintly on his ark of gopher wood To wandering men through high grass meads that ran Or sailed the sea Mediterranean.

From Poems by Jean Ingelow, In Two Volumes, Volume II. by Ingelow, Jean

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