sandalwood

American  

[san-dl-wood] / ˈsæn dlˌwʊd /

noun

1. the fragrant heartwood of any of certain Asian trees of the genus Santalum, used for ornamental carving and burned as incense.

2. any of these trees, especially S. album white sandalwood, an evergreen of India, having ovate leaves and yellowish flowers that turn red.

3. any of various related or similar trees or their woods, wood, especially an East Indian tree, Pterocarpus santalinus red sandalwood, of the legume family, or its heavy dark-red wood that yields a dye.

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sandalwood British  

/ ˈsændəlˌwʊd /

noun

1. any of several evergreen hemiparasitic trees of the genus Santalum, esp S. album ( white sandalwood ), of S Asia and Australia, having hard light-coloured heartwood: family Santalaceae

2. the wood of any of these trees, which is used for carving, is burned as incense, and yields an aromatic oil used in perfumery

3. any of various similar trees or their wood, esp Pterocarpus santalinus ( red sandalwood ), a leguminous tree of SE Asia having dark red wood used as a dye

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Etymology

Origin of sandalwood

First recorded in 1505–15; sandal ² + wood ¹

Example Sentences

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

Great British Chefs specified that tonka’s “most distinctive feature” is their “enormous potency — heady vanilla flavours, with oily clove aromas, and perfumed magnolia, sandalwood notes.”

From Salon • Sep. 19, 2025

I’m intrigued by Dorn’s use of “creamy” to describe its sandalwood.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2025

Camphor and sandalwood for the gods were sourced from Sumatra and Borneo.

From BBC • Jan. 17, 2025

She smelled of sandalwood and the crushed green gram that she used instead of soap.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy