mahogany

[muh-hog-uh-nee]

noun

plural

mahoganies 

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.

adjective

1. pertaining to or made of mahogany.

2. of the color mahogany.

mahogany

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of mahogany¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of mahogany¹

C17: origin obscure

Example Sentences

In fact, her Jewish lover was lying in the base of a heavy mahogany sofa bed that was locked from the inside; he had codeine to suppress his persistent cough.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

There’s an obvious appeal: Smoked to a deep mahogany color using Old World techniques the company’s founder carried with him as an immigrant from Poland, this is a turkey you don’t have to roast.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Customers are increasingly being lured by brands like TimberTech, which dispense with wood altogether in favor of polyvinyl chloride patterned to resemble mahogany, teak, or hickory.

Read more on Barron's

Two floors above the dining room and kitchen is the “parlor level,” which features two parlor spaces, both of which have their own fireplace, as well as mahogany floors.

Read more on MarketWatch

She got her hair done—a cut just above the shoulder, a dark mahogany dye job and a blow out—at the facility’s prisoner-run salon where inmates can earn credit toward cosmetology certificates.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal