stinkwood

American  

[stingk-wood] / ˈstɪŋkˌwʊd /

noun

1. any of several trees yielding fetid wood.

2. the wood of any of these trees.

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stinkwood British  

/ ˈstɪŋkˌwʊd /

noun

1. any of various trees having offensive-smelling wood, esp Ocotea bullata, a southern African lauraceous tree yielding a hard wood used for furniture

2. the heavy durable wood of any of these trees

3. Also called (NZ): hupiro.  a New Zealand shrub or small tree, Coprosma foetidissima , whose leaves give off an unpleasant smell when they are crushed

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Etymology

Origin of stinkwood

First recorded in 1725–35; stink + wood ¹

Example Sentences

South Africa’s cave openings can be hard to spot, but many have wild olive and white stinkwood trees growing near them.

From The New Yorker • Jun. 20, 2016

Having already returned from an early morning’s filming, Uncle John would sit at the head of a large stinkwood table, pour his muesli, and cut a very ripe banana into it.

From Salon • Dec. 7, 2013

A great-grandfather of Ms. Robinson’s, a mining engineer who worked for De Beers, brought the stinkwood dining table back from South Africa.

From New York Times • Jan. 15, 2011

The train's dining car, complete with a large table of indigenous South African stinkwood, will be parked with its midpoint on the borderline.

From Time Magazine Archive

There were camphor trees and teaks and African cedars and red stinkwood trees, and here and there a dark green cloud of leaves mushroomed above the forest canopy.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston