gumbo-limbo

[guhm-boh-lim-boh]

noun

plural

gumbo-limbos 

1. a tropical American tree, Bursera simaruba, having reddish bark and yielding a sweet, aromatic resin used in varnishes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of gumbo-limbo¹

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40; of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Tucked back on a meandering driveway lined with gnarled gumbo-limbo trees and an elaborate garden, the lodge has grottoes with seating and a small private beach with kayaks for guests.

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Saw grass sweeps to the horizon, in a marshy expanse broken by islands of slash pines and gumbo-limbo trees.

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We walked our bikes to the house and propped them against the trunk of a gumbo-limbo.

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Coldly, she turned away, and crossed to where the collie was beginning to weary of his fruitless efforts to climb the shinily smooth bark of the giant gumbo-limbo.

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I sat up and saw my bike on the ground, a freshly snapped gumbo-limbo branch sticking out of the front spokes.

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