lignum vitae
Americannoun
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either of two tropical American trees, Guaiacum officinale or G. sanctum, of the caltrop family, having very hard, heavy wood.
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the wood of such a tree, used for making pulley blocks, mallet heads, bearings, etc.
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any of several other trees yielding a similar hard wood.
noun
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either of two zygophyllaceous tropical American trees, Guaiacum officinale or G. sanctum, having blue or purple flowers
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the heavy resinous wood of either of these trees, which is used in machine bearings, casters, etc: formerly thought to have medicinal properties
Etymology
Origin of lignum vitae
1585–95; < New Latin, Late Latin, name of the tree, literally, wood of life
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.
The 1962 artwork was inspired by Dame Barbara's 1937 carving in lignum vitae of the same name, which is displayed at the Courtauld Gallery in London.
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2025
From LA to Edinburgh Macdonald made at least one other sculpture of Parker, a full-length figure carved from lignum vitae, a dark hardwood.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 21, 2010
Muir, 61, is a carver who penetrates a forest of woods: hard black walnut, violet kingwood, satiny lignum vitae, reddish cocobolo, Pernambuco wood, mahogany, apple, redwood and familiar trees.
From Time Magazine Archive
Most Congressmen bring their own bowling balls, of lignum vitae or composition rubber, in specially tailored leather cases.
From Time Magazine Archive
Merlyn took off his hat raising his staff of lignum vitae politely in the air, and said slowly, “Snybem stnemilpmoc ot enutpen dna lliw eh yidnik tpecca siht yob sa a hsif?”
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
