palo santo
Americannoun
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a South American tree, Bulnesia sarmienti, of the caltrop family, yielding a fragrant essential oil.
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a tropical American tree, Triplaris americana, of the buckwheat family, having large leaves and showy red female flowers.
Etymology
Origin of palo santo
From Latin American Spanish: literally, “holy wood”
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.
To make my own, I alchemized a potpourri of sandalwood, hinoki wood, palo santo, mint, patchouli and tachibana orange.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026
I think that’s the first place I ever smelled palo santo being burned, and I was like, “I’m going to buy that!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 3, 2025
This pretty kit contains mountain sage, frankincense, myrrh and white copal resin; a Selenite stick; crystals and a palo santo stick for smudging.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 16, 2023
Look for surprising touches, such as drinks served with swirls of aromatic palo santo wood smoke, or arriving in clay pots.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 4, 2022
After a half hour’s flight, she landed on a palo santo tree at the top of a dead volcano.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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