Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
African mahogany

African mahogany

7.0
A tree from Africa with hard reddish-brown wood used for furniture and building
  • noun
  • South African
translation icon : madera de caoba africana
  • The furniture was crafted from fine African mahogany prized for its rich color and strength.

Examples

  • Many furniture makers prefer African mahogany for its durability.

  • They imported African mahogany for the new concert hall's paneling.

  • Due to overharvesting, some species of African mahogany are considered threatened.

  • The table is made of African mahogany.

  • The furniture was crafted from fine African mahogany prized for its rich color and strength.

  • Many furniture makers prefer African mahogany for its durability and resistance to wear.

  • They imported African mahogany for the new concert hall's paneling due to its aesthetic appeal.

How Hard

ebony
4 5.5
teak
8 4.2
oak
44 1.0
African mahogany
  • South African
7.0
pine
39 2.6
balsa
3 5.6

Surface Forms

African mahogany singular
African mahoganies plural

Morphology

African + mahogany

The phrase is compositionally built from 'African' (origin) + 'mahogany' (a hardwood/tree species), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to mahogany from Africa or a species of mahogany native to Africa. This origin+material/species pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows regular English noun phrase composition, making the meaning immediately derivable.

Etymology

African mahogany takes its name from the dark, hard wood that traders brought from West Africa to Europe. Because this wood was famous for making fine furniture, people used the word mahogany for the tree and added African to show where it came from.