Spanish cedar

American  

noun

1. a tropical American tree, Cedrela odorata, of the mahogany family.

2. the hard, fragrant, mahoganylike brown wood of this tree, used for making furniture and especially cigar boxes.

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Spanish cedar British  

noun

1. a tall meliaceous tree, Cedrela odorata, of tropical America, the East Indies, and Australia, having smooth bark, pinnate leaves, yellow flowers, and light-coloured aromatic wood

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Etymology

Origin of Spanish cedar

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

The 54-inch diameter Spanish cedar door - naturally with a knob right in the center just as Tolkien described - opens with a single hand-forged iron hinge.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 12, 2012

The sleek shells that resulted from the process were not only more beautiful than the Spanish cedar shells but also demonstrably faster.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Then he carefully joined and nailed strips of Spanish cedar to the ribs of the frame to form the hull.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

After all, Spanish cedar was expensive, having to be imported from its native South America.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

He had built the Spanish cedar shell in which Washington had won.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown