1mass nounThe valuable timber of a tropical tree, resembling teak and used for furniture.
‘Timbers are also prominent: English elm for the balcony boards and, for storage, afrormosia - a hard wood with a close grain similar to teak - and contribute a warm, natural feel to the interior.’
‘The need for wood trim on glass boats cannot be too highly stressed, in my opinion - the result is mahogany trim in the cabin, afrormosia handrails on deck and, perhaps most important of all, a varnished afrormosia sheerstrake and capping to set off the sheer.’
‘They made teak and afrormosia furniture in the 'sixties to a modern design.’
‘These new oils are used extensively in modern teak and afrormosia furniture, but the resultant finish hardly compares with the older process.’
‘The aluminium balustrade with afrormosia handrail supports an angled hardwood book rest and the cast aluminium reading lamp, with a curved metal stem, springs from a hardwood post on the side.’
2The tree that yields afrormosia timber, occurring mainly in West Africa.
Genus Pericopsis (formerly Afrormosia), family Leguminosae: several species, especially P. elata and P. laxiflora
‘Four years ago, the conglomerate was awarded a massive logging concession of more than 100,000 square miles just to the south of the town, and it is now felling the forest for the precious afrormosia tree - African teak.’
‘Afrormosia is an economically important timber species that is considered an excellent alternative to teak.’
‘One such threatened species is the tropical hardwood know as afrormosia or African teak.’
‘Pericopsis elata largely known as Assamela or Afrormosia, is a high tree, belonging to the Fabaceae family, often found in the semi-deciduous forest types.’
‘Also known as Afrormosia, Kokrodua and Assamela, the African teak (Pericopsis elata) has brown, green or yellow-brown bark.’
Origin
1920s modern Latin, from Afro- + the related genus name Ormosia, formed irregularly from Greek hormos ‘necklace’ (because necklaces were strung with the seeds).
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