| 释义 |
ironwood, iron-wood|ˈaɪənwʊd|
Name given (more or less locally) to the extremely hard wood of various trees, of many different orders and countries; also to the trees themselves.
Among these are the genus Sideroxylon (chiefly tropical); several species of Diospyros or Ebony; Ostrya virginica, Bumelia lycioides, Carpinus americana, etc. of N. America; Sloanea jamaicensis and Erythroxylon areolatum of the W. Indies; Xylia dolabriformis, Mesua ferrea, Metrosideros vera, Stadtmannia Sideroxylon, etc. of the E. Indies; Copaifera Mopane of E. tropical Africa; Olea capensis and O. undulata of S. Africa; Notelæa ligustrina of Tasmania and N.S. Wales; etc. Also with defining epithet, as bastard ironwood, Fagara lentiscifolia and Trichilia hirta, of the W. Indies; black ironwood, Condalia ferrea of N. America, and Olea undulata of S. Africa; red ironwood, Reynosia latifolia of N. America; white ironwood, Hypelate trifoliata of N. America, and Vepris (Toddalia) lanceolata of S. Africa.
1657R. Ligon Barbadoes (1673) 74 Iron wood is called so, for the extream hardness;..'Tis much used for Coggs to the Rollers. 1693Phil. Trans. XVII. 621 An Ironwood from the Cape. 1719De Foe Crusoe i. ix, The wood called the iron-wood. 1731Medley Kolben's Cape G. Hope II. 248 African Iron wood..so call'd because, when dry, 'tis as hard as iron, and not to be clove by the most furious strokes with the hatchet. 1781Smeathman in Phil. Trans. LXXI. 183 Unless iron-wood posts have been made use of, not the least vestige of an house is to be discovered. 1802Barrington Hist. N.S. Wales xii. 479 A club of iron wood, which the cannibals had left in the boat. 1872Raymond Statist. Mines & Mining 271 The ravines..are well stocked with a species of lignum-vitæ, known here as ‘ironwood’. |