teak

American  

[teek] / tik /

noun

1. a large East Indian tree, Tectona grandis, of the verbena family, yielding a hard, durable, resinous, yellowish-brown wood used for shipbuilding, making furniture, etc.

2. the wood of this tree.

3. any of various similar trees or woods.

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teak British  

/ tiːk /

noun

1. a large verbenaceous tree, Tectona grandis, of the East Indies, having white flowers and yielding a valuable dense wood

2. the hard resinous yellowish-brown wood of this tree, used for furniture making, etc

3. any of various similar trees or their wood

4. a brown or yellowish-brown colour

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Etymology

Origin of teak

1665–75; earlier teke < Portuguese teca < Malayalam tēkka

Example Sentences

Other impressive features found in the space included original teak plank flooring, an original marble staircase, and original picture moldings and wainscoting.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

This is not the teak tough Atletico Madrid usually forged by the fierce coaching of Diego Simeone.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

Other natural woods that could serve as teak substitutes often struggle to meet the industry's exacting standards or are limited in supply.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

Whether the Koru's deck is also illegal Myanmar teak – or comes from legal plantations elsewhere – is under investigation in Germany, where the first importer of the deck's wood appears to have been based.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

One beautiful teak nineteenth-century rowboat and two chestnut Canadian canoes.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein