lignum vitae
- noun
- /ˈlɪɡnəm ˈvaɪti/
- Specialized
:
madera de guayacán
- The propeller shaft was made from lignum vitae to withstand years of use at sea.
Examples
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Due to its hardness, lignum vitae was often used in making tool handles and mallets.
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Artisans prized lignum vitae for its natural oils and extreme durability.
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The table is made of lignum vitae.
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I bought some lignum vitae for my woodworking project.
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Artisans prized lignum vitae for its natural oils and extreme durability.
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Due to its hardness, lignum vitae was often used in making tool handles and mallets.
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The propeller shaft was made from lignum vitae to withstand years of use at sea.
Synonyms
1
9.9
Very hard greenish-brown wood from a tropical tree used for strong handles and medicines
A very hard dark wood from a tropical tree used to make strong tools and furniture
Hard, heavy wood from a tree used to make perfume oil and medicine
A hard, strongly scented wood from tropical trees used for oil, carving and medicine
How Hard
Surface Forms
Morphology
lignum + vitae
The phrase is literally Latin for 'wood of life' (lignum = wood; vitae = of life), so a learner who knew both constituents would infer it denotes a type of wood. However, it is a technical botanical name referring to a specific very hard, dense species (Guaiacum) and colour/properties that are not fully predictable from 'wood of life' alone, and the Latin genitive form ('vitae') may be unfamiliar, so the meaning is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Lignum vitae comes from Latin: lignum (wood) and vitae (life), so it means 'wood of life'. Because the wood is very hard and oily, shipbuilders and toolmakers used it for shafts and handles, so the name came to mean the very hard wood itself.