mahogany

American  

[muh-hog-uh-nee] / məˈhɒg ə ni /

noun

mahoganies plural

1. 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.

2. the wood itself.

3. any of various similar trees or their wood.

4. a reddish-brown color.

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adjective

1. pertaining to or made of mahogany.

2. of the color mahogany.

mahogany British  

/ məˈhɒɡənɪ /

noun

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

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

3. 1. the wood of any of these trees See also acajou

   2. ( as modifier )

      a mahogany table

4. 1. a reddish-brown colour

   2. ( as modifier )

      mahogany skin

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mahoganies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mahogany

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

Explanation

Mahogany is a dark, reddish-brown wood that comes from a tree also called a mahogany. You can also use this word for the color itself. A fancy dining room table might be made of mahogany. If your best friend has rich brown hair with red highlights, feel free to compliment her on her mahogany locks. This color's name comes from mahogany timber, sturdy wood that's used to make high-end furniture, boats, and musical instruments, including guitars. The mahogany tree only grows in tropical regions, including parts of South America, Florida, and the West Indies. The word comes from the Spanish mahogani.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mahogany mahoganies

Martin and Co. guitar, a seamless blend of spruce, mahogany, celluloid, ebony and mother-of-pearl.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

He is not sitting at a workbench but at a mahogany table polished to a fare-thee-well and reflecting the sitter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

Among the answers: a small ink-stained mahogany desk, an antique light bulb, a brown leather flight suit and a baseball jersey.

From Barron's ● May 29, 2026

The guitar, a mahogany Gibson SG, was one Iommi said he had owned for a while and used at home.

From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025

She was sitting at her round mahogany table, working on yet another appeal for her soldiers’ center.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Some intense blooms tint the ocean in swirling blues, mahoganies or “red tides” visible from space—psychedelic watercolors of microscopic life on a macroscale.

From Scientific American ● Jan. 24, 2022

Technicolor has seldom been more affectionately used than in its registrations of the sober mahoganies and tender muslins and benign gaslights of the period.

From Time Magazine Archive

The furniture crafted from the grand mahoganies is said to glow and "smile" at the beholder.

From Time Magazine Archive

In the hardest-hit areas, 60% of the hardwood trees are gone, including huge mahoganies, and many of the rare Puerto Rican parrots have disappeared.

From Time Magazine Archive

The bread-fruit tree with its broad, scalloped leaves, the showy star-apple, glossy green above deep gold below, mahoganies, oranges, and bananas, all seem to grow wild.

From Here, There and Everywhere by Hamilton, Frederick Spencer, Lord