afaran.
/əˈfɑːrə/, U.S. /əˈfɑrə/ A tall West African hardwood tree, Terminalia superba (family Combretaceae), cultivated for its straight-grained timber; (also, frequently with distinguishing word) the timber itself, used for furniture, flooring, etc.; = limba n.2Occasionally also applied to other West African trees of the genus Terminalia (or their timber).
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the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular timber trees or shrubs > non-British timber trees > [noun] > African
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1912 Daily Consular & Trade Rep. 16 Mar. 1093 Terminalia superba (afara or aaha).—Used for bridges and shingles.]
1920 Bull. Imperial Inst. 18 201 Estimated prices..Afara (Terminalia superba)..1s. 6d. per cubic foot.
1934 A. L. Howard Man. Timbers of World (ed. 2) 9 Afara, reported by the Imperial Institute as a wood very similar to oak in colour, and possessing a straight grain.
1955 Nomencl. Commerc. Timb. (B.S.I.) 87 The plain light-coloured wood is called light afara..or limba blanc; the figured heartwood dark afara..or limba bariolé... White afara is a name used in Nigeria for the tree as distinct from the timber.
1971 Times 23 Dec. p. ii/7 White and Black Afara are among the medium hard timbers used for joinery and flooring.
2005 C. Tudge Secret Life Trees ix. 209 Afara, or limba, also from West Africa, is T. superba.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2012; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1920