a tree, Metopium toxiferum, of southern Florida, that has compound leaves and yellowish, berrylike fruits and is poisonous to touch
Also called: poison tree
Word origin
[1715–25, Amer.; poison + wood1]This word is first recorded in the period 1715–25. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: blackleg, federation, hallmark, leverage, portfolio