mahogany

[ muh-hog-uh-nee ]

/ məˈhɒg ə ni /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mahogany ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural ma·hog·a·nies.

any of several tropical American trees of the genus Swietenia, especially S. mahagoni and S. macrophylla, yielding hard, reddish-brown wood used for making furniture.

the wood itself.

any of various similar trees or their wood.Compare African mahogany, Philippine mahogany.

a reddish-brown color.

adjective

pertaining to or made of mahogany.

of the color mahogany.

Nearby words

Origin of mahogany

First recorded in 1665–75; perhaps < some non-Carib language of the West Indies

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mahogany

The floors were softened by cork tiles, the walls by Philippine mahogany paneling.
The Night Vince Lombardi Lay Awake Brooding Over a 49-0 Win|W.C. Heinz|January 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nope, he has to be seen landing his chopper on the South Lawn, propping his leather loafers on his mahogany desk in the Oval.
Why Obama Fled His Hawaii Vacation in Shadow of the Fiscal Cliff|Lauren Ashburn|December 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Mike Lennon and I were two of a dozen speakers who stood next to the mahogany casket.
Mailer's Final Gift|Lawrence Schiller|February 5, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Staring back through the mahogany banisters her face looked fairly striped with astonishment.
Rainy Week|Eleanor Hallowell Abbott

So throughout the night, in my wakeful moments, I saw the light reflected from his mahogany person.
Hunting in Many Lands|Various
The deck is of mahogany, well caulked, and seven-eighths of an inch in thickness.
A Yacht Voyage Round England|W.H.G. Kingston
The sides of the dining room and ladies cabin are of mahogany and curled maple, with elegant looking-glasses.
Travels Through North America, v. 1-2|Berhard Saxe-Weimar Eisenach
A dilute solution of bichromate of potash is frequently employed to darken oak, mahogany, and coloured woods.
Intarsia and Marquetry|F. Hamilton Jackson

British Dictionary definitions for mahogany

mahogany

/ (məˈhɒɡənɪ) /

noun plural -nies

any of various tropical American trees of the meliaceous genus Swietenia, esp S. mahagoni and S. macrophylla, valued for their hard reddish-brown wood

any of several trees with similar wood, such as African mahogany (genus Khaya) and Philippine mahogany (genus Shorea)

the wood of any of these treesSee also acajou (def. 2)
(as modifier)a mahogany table

a reddish-brown colour
(as modifier)mahogany skin

Word Origin for mahogany

C17: origin obscure

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

Word Origin and History for mahogany