a hard teaklike wood obtained from tropical African trees of the leguminous genus Pericopsis
Word origin
C20: from Afro- + Ormosia (genus name)
afrormosia in American English
(ˌæfrɔrˈmouziə, -ʒə, -rour-)
noun
1.
a tree, Pericopsis elata (or Afrormosia elata), of western Africa, having wood that resembles teak and is used in cabinetwork
2.
the wood of this tree
Word origin
[‹ NL (1906), orig. the genus name, equiv. to L Āfr-, s. of Āfer (adj.) African + NL Ormosia a genus to which the plant was first attributed (irreg. from Gk hórmos necklace + NL -ia-ia; so called because the seeds of the plant were strung as necklaces)]