gumbo-limbo

American  

[guhm-boh-lim-boh] / ˈgʌm boʊˈlɪm boʊ /

noun

plural

gumbo-limbos

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

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Etymology

Origin of gumbo-limbo

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.

From Washington Post

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

From The New Yorker

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

From Literature

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.

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Literature