teak

[teek]

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.

Origin of teak

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for teak

Contemporary Examples of teak

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

Historical Examples of teak

The vessel was built of teak, and had been a frigate in the Portuguese service.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
Yucker Brothers had concessions and teak forests in the interior.
Lord Jim
Joseph Conrad
It is very elastic and withstands the climate, when seasoned, as well as Teak.
The Philippine Islands
John Foreman
The forest was open, and consisted of teak and cedar with but little undergrowth.
The Call Of The South
Louis Becke
That figured (Fig. 12) is made by mounting a teak top 60 cm.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique
John William Henry Eyre

British Dictionary definitions for teak

teak

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

Word Origin and History for teak

type of East Indian tree, 1690s, from Portuguese teca, from Malayam tekka, corresponding to Tamil tekku, Telugu teku, Kanarese tegu.