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Glite Dictionary
🌳 A hardwood tree 🧙 A forest spirit
iroko

iroko

9.7
A large African tree with hard, long-lasting wood used for furniture and building
  • noun
  • /ɪˈroʊkoʊ/
  • UK
translation icon : iroko
  • Artisans prefer iroko for its resistance to decay, making it ideal for boat building and flooring.
  • iroko tree

Examples

  • Long-lived and dioecious, the African iroko must have been an especially poor candidate for introduction (Dalziel 1948, 444-445).

    Academic text (1990)

  • Comparing the work environment of Nigerian university academics with that elsewhere, lecturers in Nigeria seem to be using bare hands to cut down matured "iroko" trees in the forest.

    Academic text (2006)

  • The craftsmen used iroko wood to create elegant, long-lasting furniture for the dining room.

  • Due to its durability, iroko is often selected for outdoor construction projects in tropical climates.

How Durable

ebony
4 5.5
teak
3 5.4
iroko
  • UK
9.7
oak
44 1.0
pine
39 2.6
balsa
3 5.6

Surface Forms

iroko singular
irokos plural

Etymology

Iroko comes from the Yoruba name iroko for a large West African tree known for very hard, long-lasting wood, so you can remember it like the local 'oak' or 'teak' used for furniture and boats.