mahogany

American  

[muh-hog-uh-nee] / məˈhɒg ə ni /

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.

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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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Etymology

Origin of mahogany

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

Example Sentences

The chairs, the mahogany bookcase, the old upright piano, all pulsed with an eerie light.

From Literature

Thirty minutes later I’m sitting in the mahogany booth of Teddy’s, sandwiched between three of my coworkers as the diner begins to fill with patrons.

From Literature

It was built in a time when houses had things like butler’s pantries and wall-to-wall mahogany wood paneling.

From Literature

Kate presided over a mahogany séance table, dressed simply in a black silk gown with a gold cross around her neck almost like a kind of Spiritualist nun.

From Literature

Its first owner, Argentine President Juan Perón, fell in love with the two-tone hardtop car, with a lustrous cream color on the roof and rich mahogany on the bottom, at the Paris Salon.

From The Wall Street Journal