teak

[ teek ]

/ tik /

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noun

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.

the wood of this tree.

any of various similar trees or woods.

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Origin of teak

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

Words nearby teak

tea dance, tea family, tea garden, tea gown, teahouse, teak, teakettle, teakwood, teal, tea lady, tea lead

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use teak in a sentence

Choose from a bio ethanol or propane power, and a table made of teak or composite concrete for a look that’s just right for your outdoor decor.
The 8 Best Outdoor Fire Pits for S’mores, Cuddling, and More|Korin Miller|August 27, 2021|The Daily Beast
While it may seem like you’re dropping a pretty penny, your patio setup will last longer if it’s made of iron, aluminum, or teak.
Best patio furniture: outdoor seating that suits your space|Billy Cadden|July 20, 2021|Popular-Science
Here, table, highboy chairs, and screen—mahogany, cherry, teak—looked nervous and disproportioned.
Marco Roth’s Book Bag: The Anti-Memoir Memoir|Marco Roth|October 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Hilda stabbed a great crisp fallen teak leaf with her parasol, and spent the grimness of this in twirling it.
Hilda|Sarah Jeanette Duncan

From under the teak table Umballa drew forth two heavy bags of silver coin.
The Adventures of Kathlyn|Harold MacGrath
African teak, let me note, is not teak properly so called, but the timber of the Oldfieldia Africana.
The Desert World|Arthur Mangin
One of the pleasures of being "on the road to Mandalay" was to see the-- "Elephints a-pilin' teak In the sludgy, squdgy creek"
Where Half The World Is Waking Up|Clarence Poe
In Siam the elephants are much used in managing the immense rafts of teak trees that are floated down the rivers for export.
Where Half The World Is Waking Up|Clarence Poe

British Dictionary definitions for teak

teak

/ (tiːk) /

noun

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

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

any of various similar trees or their wood

a brown or yellowish-brown colour

Word Origin for teak

C17: from Portuguese teca, from Malayalam tēkka

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012