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Glite Dictionary
African walnut

African walnut

7.7
A tropical African tree with hard dark wood used for furniture
  • noun
  • South African
translation icon : nogal africano
  • The furniture was made from African walnut, giving the room a warm, rich look.

Examples

  • Sustainable harvesting of African walnut is important to maintain the species and its habitats.

  • Many carpenters prefer African walnuts for their furniture.

  • Many luxury car interiors feature veneers of African walnut for a polished finish.

  • The African walnut tree grows in tropical climates.

  • Many luxury car interiors feature veneers of African walnut for a polished finish.

  • The furniture was made from African walnut, giving the room a warm, rich look.

  • Sustainable harvesting of African walnut is important to maintain the species and its habitats.

Synonyms

Lovoa klaineana
vsAfrican walnut
  • Specialized
9.9

A large African tree whose hard, dark wood people use for furniture

is the common name for the same tree rather than the formal species name

Surface Forms

African walnut singular
African walnuts plural

Morphology

African + walnut

The phrase is a straightforward adjectival noun combination: 'African' (from Africa) modifying 'walnut' (a type of tree/timber), so a learner who knows both words will infer it is a walnut (tree or timber) associated with Africa. Such place‑modifier + noun constructions are highly compositional and common across languages, making the meaning immediately predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The name African walnut may come from people noticing that the tree's dark, rich wood looked like the familiar walnut, so they called it the African version. So today African walnut refers to a tropical African tree whose timber is used for fine furniture and car interiors.