poisonwood

[poi-zuhn-wood]

noun

1. a tree, Metopium toxiferum, of southern Florida, that has compound leaves and yellowish, berrylike fruits and is poisonous to touch.

Word History and Origins

Origin of poisonwood¹

An Americanism dating back to 1715–25; poison + wood ¹

Example Sentences

Kingsolver has long woven social issues into her novels, which include “The Bean Trees” and “The Poisonwood Bible,” and helped establish the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction.

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The “Poisonwood Bible” author on her career and her new novel, “Demon Copperhead,” which reboots “David Copperfield” in opioid-ravaged Appalachia.

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Her 1998 novel “The Poisonwood Bible” was an Oprah Book Club pick and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

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Her past novels include “The Bean Trees,” “Flight Behavior” and “The Poisonwood Bible,” a Winfrey selection in 2000.

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The advance for “The Poisonwood Bible,” out in 1998, was reported to be a million dollars; with it, Kingsolver established a biannual $25,000 literary prize for first-time novelists whose work tackled social change.

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