redwood

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a very tall conifer, especially the coast redwood or giant sequoia of western North America

   The trail winds through a redwood grove whose oldest trees are centuries old.

2. 2
   noun

   the soft reddish timber obtained from a redwood tree

   The carpenter chose redwood because it resists decay outdoors.

3. 3
   noun

   any of several unrelated tropical trees with reddish timber, especially Manilkara bidentata of tropical America, or their wood

   The river traders brought a cargo of redwood down from the tropical interior.

A compound of red + wood, referring to the characteristic color of the timber. The name was applied independently to several unrelated trees whose wood has a reddish hue, including Californian sequoias and tropical American bulletwood.

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