coachwood

noun

1

: either of two Australian trees of the family Cunoniaceae:

a

: a medium-sized tree (Ceratopetalum apetalum) with grayish bark and dry hard fruits surrounded by winglike calyx lobes

called also leatherjacket

b

: a medium-sized to large tree (Schizomeria ovata) with a succulent egg-shaped fruit

called also white cherry

2

: the heavy tough fine-grained wood of the coachwood (see sense 1a above) pinkish in color but darkening on exposure and used chiefly for veneers and in cabinetwork

called also scented satinwood

Word History

Etymology

so called from its use in coachbuilding

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