black poisonwood
noun
variants
or black poison
: a tree (Metopium brownei of the family Anacardiaceae) native to southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and the West Indies that has a severely irritating sap and yields a dark close-grained hardwood
He's a bushman who knows bush lore, … knows which trees shelter the howler monkeys, knows the poisonous black tarry sap from the black poisonwood and the antidote in the red gumbolimbo tree that usually grows nearby.—
Jane P. Marshall, The Houston Chronicle, 4 Feb. 1996
Jane P. Marshall, The Houston Chronicle, 4 Feb. 1996called also chechem
Dictionary Entries Near black poisonwood
Cite this Entry
“Black poisonwood.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black%20poisonwood. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share