mahogany
/məˈhɒɡəni
/noun
1 [mass noun] Hard reddish-brown timber from a tropical tree, used for quality furniture.Artisans carve objects (ranging from wall hangings to furniture) from mahogany and other tropical hardwoods....
- The furniture was all mahogany and classic looking.
- Stockpiles of pine, cherry, hickory, cedar, hard pine, and mahogany were inventoried in the pattern shop.
1.1A rich reddish-brown colour like that of mahogany wood: [as modifier]: the shining mahogany hair flowed to her shoulders...
- Her deep red hair was the rich colour of mahogany and her eyes were a warm leaf green.
- Folly has now been followed up with the release of a second, stronger offering, Executioner, a 4.5 per cent dark beer, with a rich mahogany, almost reddish colour.
- There was one girl next to her about the same height as Kelsey with rich wavy mahogany hair, a spray of freckles on her face, and dark, chocolate eyes.
2The tropical tree which produces mahogany.
- Swietenia mahagoni, family Meliaceae (tropical America), and other species.
- Three wood species are available: all heart redwood, mahogany, and Western red cedar.
- We went through a set of pines, junipers, and mountain mahoganies and could see the big tree was right ahead.
2.1Used in names of trees which yield timber similar to mahogany, e.g. African mahogany.In a current case, he's studying samples from a U.S. company that's trying to sell lumber and veneer that it claims are at least in part African mahogany....
- The whole room was decorated with African mahogany, everything from bedside tables to bookcases and sofas.
- The same is true of the African mahoganies, iroko and some of the South East Asian dipterocarps but the actual conditions required will vary from one ecological community to another.
Origin
Mid 17th century: of unknown origin.