cape yellowwood
- noun
- South African
:
madera amarilla del Cabo
- In parks across South Africa, the cape yellowwood can be seen standing majestically with its round crown.
Examples
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The furniture was crafted from cape yellowwood, known for its fine grain and durability.
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The cape yellowwood is a protected tree species in South Africa, making it illegal to cut down without permission.
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Botanists admire the smooth bark and evergreen leaves of the cape yellowwood.
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The cape yellowwood is known for its beautiful foliage.
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Many gardeners prefer the cape yellowwood for landscaping.
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The cape yellowwood tree provides excellent timber that is highly sought after for furniture making.
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Many homeowners choose the cape yellowwood for its ornamental value and lush green leaves.
Synonyms
A South African tree or shrub with a rounded crown and strong, beautiful wood
A medium tree from South Africa that has yellow wood and people use for furniture and gardens
A tree or shrub from southern Africa with strong yellow wood used for furniture
A South African tree or shrub with narrow thick leaves and a rounded top often planted in gardens
A tall evergreen tree from Africa with hard, shiny leaves and dark bark
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositionally interpretable: 'cape' (a geographic area) + 'yellowwood' (a type of tree) yields a yellowwood tree associated with the Cape region. Region + species naming is a common, transparent pattern cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Cape yellowwood is named for where the tree grows and what its wood looks like: cape points to the Cape region of South Africa and yellowwood describes the tree's warm, yellow-coloured timber. So the name came to mean this South African tree that people value for its wood and for planting in gardens.
